Friday Finds: Nature-Inspired Photography

Meet the very talented Naomi from moonangelnay, a passionate artist of all sorts, including digital art, photography, blogging, crocheting, and much more. She is located in Birmingham, West Midlands, in the United Kingdom.

Naomi finds inspiration in the human form, philosophy, nature, free will and color, with an abstract outlook on nature, heart and soul, romance, flowers, animals, vintage, dreams, and vibrant colors.

A fine art artist at heart, she has an ever changing abstract style which has also drifted into her digital art work. Naomi's contrasting duality in her work, highlighting her interests in both light and dark and the veil in between through form, color, mantra and poetry, are fascinating. She is also very interested in the affinity she perceives an object to have with its environment.

Naomi shared a few thoughts with me this week on her and her shop. I think you'll enjoy hearing a little more about her.

How did you get your start on Etsy?
Believe it or not moonangelnay was a store for art, knitted items and leather accessories in the beginning, which eventually became exclusively art and photography, then just altered photography within it's first year. I am a multitasker by nature I suppose and even have another more successful shop of mine going known as Babamoon Baby!

How did you choose your shop name?
Moonangelnay is a name inspired by a bit of a spiritual journey i embarked on in my teens and it has followed me down the line ever since! Babamoon is something I initially wanted to combine with my Moonangelnay name but it has since become it's own little empire lol! I am hoping to merge the photography into Babamoon in a separate project form Etsy, doing portraiture for children.

What does a typical day look like for you?
This is difficult as I have 2 kids and it changes every day! I typically try to start my day checking emails and orders, writing my blog if I am able to and then working on new images for moonangelnay or mostly fulfilling hat orders for babamoon. I tend to work more in the evening when my kids are in bed and can be up pretty late a lot of the time! In my free time I love to be out in my garden taking pictures for new altered art projects as my inspiration derives from the natural world, or chasing my wiggly little daughter around to get new hat images if she allows me to lol!

If you could be anywhere in the world for one day, where would it be?
I think it would be somewhere in the mountains where I can take myself on a slope and ski to my hearts content!

You can find Naomi in her two Etsy shops (moonangelnay and babamoon), Facebook, Twitter, and her own Blog.

Friday Finds: Beautiful Hair Pieces

Today I bring you beautiful hair clips/pins and brooches from Marisa Kraiselburd at Etsy shop floresdelsur located in Montevideo, Uruguay.

I love the unique textures her of each of her felt, fabric, and ribbon options, and I picture my girls so loving each of her creations. They are so lovely to wear in your hair or as an embellishment on a jacket. And with free shipping from Uruguay, what's not to love?

I had a chance to catch up with Marissa this last week and ask her a few questions. So grab a cup of tea or coffee, and read on about our conversation below.

How did you get your start on Etsy?
I read of Etsy somewhere on the internet in 2007 and I fell immediately in love with it, but it took me some time to get the courage to open my own shop.

How did you choose your shop name?
We were going to be some friends selling in that shop, so I thought of "Las Flores" (the flowers) as a nice name for us as a group... we, all beautiful women, like flowers :)...
I lived in Patagonia when I thought of that name, that´s why I chose "del Sur" (from the south)
Las Flores del Sur means, complete, Flowers from the South.
Now I live in Montevideo, Uruguay... and it is still south... america! So the name still works for me ;)

If you could be anywhere in the world for one day, where would it be?
Hm, difficult question! I can think of Venice -where I have already been- and it is so beautiful and unique that I would love to go back sometime soon.

You can also find her in her three Etsy shops (floresdelsur, lasfloresdelsur, and CraftsAndPixels), Facebook, Twitter, and her own Blog.

Wednesday What's New: Happy March

Happy March, and welcome back! I have had a long hiatus from this blog with the new year, a death of a childhood friend, adventures in foster care, work on my marketing business, and just plain life. But alas, I am happy to say that I'm back and you should anticipate seeing regular posts from me again.

Some of the things I plan to discuss this month include: March's birthstone, more musings on foster care/adoption, and some fun treasures from my shop and other people's Etsy shops.

I am excited to leave you with a picture of one of my favorite pieces of jewelry, a Psalm 23 bracelet I created with the help of my kids, which incorporates many different kinds of gemstones - including March's aquamarine stone. I would love to hear what you think!

What are you most excited about this week?