ColdhamCuddliescalling

 The Boosting Etsy Shops Team's goal is to offer support
and promotion of one another's Etsy shops primarily through our
personal Blogs, and also through our Twitter Accounts and Facebook Fan pages.
Commitment to this common goal is what makes our team the BEST! 

Feature Blog for May 11, 2012 - Joy Silk of Planet Joy:

Having been on Leave of Absence - thanks to my internet connection travails - thought it might be appropriate to feature my fellow BESTeam members’ blogs, shops and the artists themselves in a slightly different format.  After all, there are only just so many ways one can enthuse about separate items in their shops - and sound as though you genuinely mean it! 

When did painting on silk first become your modus operandi?

I first fell in love with silk painting when my dear friend Rosie was doing it the summer of 1989. She had mainly airbrushed ready-made cotton garments, but the silks were hand painted and possessed the most incredible vivid colours. I was enthralled and begged her to show me or allow me to watch her, but she refused. So when I moved to Oregon, she shared her supply sources and wished me good luck! I ordered my silk and dyes and have been painting silk ever since!!

This is just a taste of what Joy can produce with her artistry on silk.

Why that creative process?

I am a colour "junkie" I love the way the colours look so rich on silk fabric. There are so many types of silk, so it's always fresh and exciting!

You can see what she means by rich colours, can’t you?

If you didn't do such gorgeous work this way, do you think you could achieve the same  degree of quality, satisfaction in what you do with another artform? If so, what?

I am so satisfied with silk.  I do expand on my creativity by designing new products when I can.

This year I've designed a few new items, the main one being the Scarflette, which I launched on Earth Day this year.

 It's a scarf with some jewellery elements, so it's like a scarf and a necklace. Versatility is a key factor in all my accessories, I want to make things that are exciting to wear because
   
   a) Your style is unique with art to wear fashion accessories and,
   b) You like to accessorize your style with Joy Hand Painted Silk because its fun and you look great!

I do have a line of earrings and pendants available in my Etsy store, the jewellery items are fashioned from mother of pearl and crystal that have a transfer image of my hand painted silk on them. So, the jewellery goes perfectly with the scarves or makes a great simple gift on their own.

Here are examples of items Joy mentions.

From your blogs, we know you're well into outside projects and exhibitions. Could you name some, please - and which you feel will promote your product most fruitfully?

The Silverton Fine Art Festival is GORGEOUS in Silverton Oregon, and the Celebration of Creativity in Portland is a wonderful show with a lovely group of talented artisans.

The shows in California are new this year and I don't know what they will be like, but they are all in the Bay Area and I hope to meet new people and establish new accounts while I'm down there!

June 2-3 Foster City, CA
The Foster City Arts and Wine Festival takes place at Leo Ryan Park (Corner of Hillsdale Blvd & Shell Blvd.) Free Admission and Free Parking at Parkside Towers.
Festival Hours
Saturday, June 5 11am - 7pm
Sunday, June 6 11am - 5pm

July 28-29 -  Alameda’s 27th Annual Park Street Art & Wine Faire
The Park Street Art & Wine Faire is Alameda's biggest event. The annual street festival takes place every year on the last weekend of July between Encinal and Buena Vista Avenues
Saturday July 28 10am - 6pm
Sunday July 29 10am – 6 pm

August Silverton Fine Art Festival
The eleventh annual Silverton Fine Arts Festival is set for August 18-19 in Silverton's shady Coolidge–McClaine Park at the intersection of Coolidge and Charles Streets. The artist and food booths are open Saturday, 10am–7pm, and Sunday, 10am–6pm. Complementary shuttle service and free parking are available at the Robert Frost School parking lot at 301 Westfield and The Oregon Garden at 879 W. Main Street. Admission to the festival is free. The family-friendly days feature two entertainment stages, an international food court, a wine and beer garden, and arts activities.

September 8 & 9, 2012
Mountain View Annual Art & Wine Festival — considered one of America's top art festivals, art lovers will pour into Silicon Valley's epicenter for this "Cultural Community Celebration" presented by the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View. Hours are 10am-6pm both days. Admission is free. An authentic and moveable feast for the senses. Exceptional handcrafted work by 600 of Americas top artists and craftmakers. Stellar live music on stage and street throughout downtown

So - all you folks who live in travelling distance of any of these venues know what you must do!!  Go….see… and acquire a Joyflower item which you can be sure cannot be replicated!  What more can a gal want?

For those of you not so fortunate as to be in touch with the US West Coast, Joyflower and her products can be seen as:

Blog: http://www.joysilk.blogspot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/JoySilk
Shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/JoySilk
Twitter: @JoySilk


In return for the privilege of being a participant in the BESTeam Forum on Etsy.com, I am committed to highlighting the activities of my fellow team members, as well as encouraging others to consider becoming members too.  Hopefully, this post will have inspired others to visit our site. 
 You won't be disappointed - and I'm looking forward to meeting more of you soon!