New Images up on Etsy

I posted a couple of new images on Etsy in the last few days, check them out! They're very colorful, which is great for me at this time of the year because Northern California gets very hot, dry, and brown in September and October. Hopefully El Nino will bring us some extra rain and turn everything green again!


This one, the sunny sky and yellow flowers, actually sold today, as part of Etsy's "Buy One, Get One Free" promotion. The promotion's still going on until Sunday, September 20th, check out my shop announcement for details.


And if you get a chance, please fill out my short shop/interest survey, there's a link in the post right below this one. The first 50 people who fill out the survey get a "25% off" redemption code for my shop.

Have a great weekend!

Long Hiatus, and New Survey

Sorry I've been gone so long (again). The fiance and I are trying desperately to buy a house in a (still) very expensive market, and it's draining us of all of our mental energy. That, and I have a 5th year PhD thesis committee meeting coming up, where several professors decide whether I'm still "on track" to graduate on time. So, some stress there!

I just wanted to ask you, my followers, if you could please fill out a short survey that I generated about interest in my Etsy shop. I'm trying to decide what products to offer for the upcoming holiday season, and I figured this would be a good way to identify good and bad ideas. If you fill out the survey, you are in no way obligated to purchase anything from me, and I will not distribute any information you may provide.

The first 50 people who fill out the survey and leave a contact e-mail address will receive a 25% discount code for your entire purchase in my shop. You can transfer the code to someone else if you'd like, but each code can only be used for one purchasing session.

Thanks a lot in advance, I hope you are all doing well!

Click Here to take survey

New posts to come shortly!

Things have been very busy in my life lately, and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to post regularly during the last few weeks. I will resume regular posts after I return from vacation (my sister's wedding in Buffalo, NY). In the meantime, please check out and enter the giveaway for one of my matted prints, hosted by the Etsy Veg Team.

Etsy Veg Team giveaway!

If you like my work, please spread the word of the giveaway to anyone who might like photography or art for their walls :)

Thanks, and I'll be posting more next week!

Knit One One Craft Sale - Purchase

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Knit One One craft show and bought prints from me! I really appreciate your support!

My prints are still available on my Etsy page - http://amefaust.etsy.com - and I'll let you know if and when I do another physical craft show.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Some news :)

Sorry, I'm still working on getting another crop of featured Etsy sellers, so that post will be delayed until later this week, I think. I just wanted to share two pieces of news with you.

First, I finally got my custom engagement ring, and I wanted to share a couple of photos of it. It was a long process, mostly because we weren't sure what we wanted at first, but I think the result is great, and perfectly suited to me. If anyone wants the same ring, too bad! No, just kidding, it is custom, but I'd be happy to share some of the details to make a similar ring.





Second news: Just a reminder that I'm going to be in a craft/art sale in Berkeley this Saturday. It's at Knit One One studios at 3360 Adeline St in Berkeley. Here's the flyer for the sale; unfortunately, they asked me to participate at the last minute and my name isn't on the flyer. But I will be there :)


Knit One One website

Knit One One blog

Even if you don't live in the area and can't make it, you can still benefit! In celebration of my first show, I'm going to do a special promotion on my Etsy shop this weekend, buy one get one free for all of my prints. Check my shop announcement for details on Friday.

Etsy Seller Tuesday - Mysticwynd!

I have the pleasure of featuring another great Etsy seller today, Karen of Mysticwynd! Her shop is full of beautiful, colorful jewelry, and there's so much to choose from! Also, Karen featured my shop in her blog when I was first getting started on Etsy, so I really appreciate her willingness to support fellow Etsy sellers. I asked Karen a few questions, and I hope you enjoy getting to know this wonderful seller!


Empty Nest Necklace - $24

amefaust: You have a huge variety of colors, textures and styles represented in your jewelry. Where do you generally find your components, and how do you decide on each piece's personality?

mysticwynd: My components come from a variety of sources - wholesale suppliers, bead and gem shows and boutiques, private artisans, and I occassionally even find a piece or two at an estate or garage sale that is worthy of upcycling or repurposing.

As to deciding on a piece's "personality," I'll blame it on my overactive imagination combined with some outside inspiration (like a song, or looking through a photo album, or even a random thought). From there, it's just about finding the right components. Sometimes my brain works in reverse and I'll look through my stash of supplies, mixing and matching until something works for me!


Koi Pond Earrings - $10

amefaust: What made you decide to feature so many Etsy sellers on your blog, rather than just focusing on your own art?

mysticwynd: My blog is another artistic release for me. I love to write and find it very therapeutic for me, perhaps that's why I tend to do things a little differently on my blog. You'll find that most of my articles have a story line or theme - which I love to illustrate with some of the amazing finds on Etsy.

If I wasn't a member of the Etsy community, I'd be illustrating my blog posts with my own photos or public domain photos - promoting other Etsians helps me do a better job of illustrating, makes my posts more interesting, and gives them some free exposure! If I were limited to my own items, I think I'd probably find my articles too limited to enjoy.

I guess I'm also a believer in karma to a degree - so I try to help others as much as I can. Positive energy begets positive results in the long term. Besides, I actually do sneak my own pieces in from time to time and I have an Etsy mini of my own shop items on my blog, so I think I do a pretty good job of keeping my bases covered!


Tidal Pool Necklace and Pendant - $33

amefaust: In your profile, you say you live in Arizona. I've never been there, what's the best and the worst thing about living there?

mysticwynd: Hmmm... worst things (want to get those out of the way!):

1) Temperatures over 105 (it's pretty comfortable to that point!)

2) Scorpions and snakes and a couple other critters that are too gross to mention!

3) Our limited highway system (most of the main points of interest only have one main highway connecting them - if there's an accident or closure, be prepared to be stuck or do a lot of extra driving!)

4) Would you believe too much sun? I actually love it when it's cloudy or raining because on average, we only have around 70 cloudy days a year! (The upside is that you can plan virtually anything outdoors and be pretty sure that rain won't ruin your plans!)

Best things:

1) Temperatures under 105 - which is 9 months out of the year. While I own winter clothes, I rarely need more than a light jacket unless I'm up in the mountains!

2) The mountains - I can drive 2 hours to the mountains in winter, play in the snow for a couple hours, and then drive home and swim in the pool. Can't beat that!

3) All of the amazing places of interest - In addition to the Grand Canyon, there are a number of other incredible canyons, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Visiting the Indian ruins or places like Tombstone is like walking through the pages of ancient history. We also have extensive systems of canyons, dormant volcano fields, our own huge meteor crater and some of the most beautiful red rocks (in the Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon area) that you will see anywhere in the world! Arizona is also home to a number of observatories (which is so cool if you're into stargazing)

4) Our summer rainy season (which used to be called our monsoon)- we get some of the most amazing summer storms in Arizona. I have a friend who actually did his doctoral thesis on lightning and even he is awed by the intensity and beauty of the storms here. But I guess you have to like storms and not be intimidated when you see that precursor of a thousand foot wall of sand heading for you!


Golden Delicious Graduated Bead Necklace - $17

Thanks so much for sharing your art and life, Karen! Good luck to you!

Back from vacation, and new photo post!

Hello, I'm back from my Maine vacation, full of bug bites and wonderful memories of the Allagash brewery in Portland, ME. It's seriously one of the best American craft breweries, and anyone who drinks beer should try it or visit the brewery if they're in the area.

I have a couple of new pictures to share with you, not as many as I'd hoped because the weather didn't really cooperate, but a few nice ones came out of the trip.


This was part of the root system of a fallen tree that had turned into driftwood at Parson's Beach in Southern Maine. I love how the shallow depth of focus allows some of the patterns to be sharp and others sort of dreamily fuzzy.


Pea shoot tendrils climbing and twisting their way around a wire fence. The patterns they make are amazing, and the bright springy green was really beautiful!


Ducklings! We were walking around a wooded path that led to a little inlet, and right as we broke out of the trees and looked down to the shore, we saw a whole gaggle of ducklings and one *very* protective mother. I was only able to get a few shots before the mother put an end to it and led her babies to the other side of the inlet. Aren't they fuzzy and cute?

That's all I have time to prepare for today. I'll post a few more images from this trip later in the week. Have a great day!

I'm going to be in a craft show!

I'm sorry I've been slow with posting new photographs; there's a bit of a backlog because of my work and personal life (searching for our first home) getting very hectic. We're going on vacation next week, so stay tuned for new blog posts starting Monday, July 13, and possibly some great new photographs from Maine!

I wanted to let you know that I've been invited to join a craft show on July 25th at the Knit One One studio in Berkeley! It's going to be my first craft show ever, and my first opportunity to show off my photography in person, so I'm very nervous but excited. As you can see by looking at my Etsy shop, I haven't made any Etsy sales since opening my shop. I've sold two prints through Made It Myself, but nothing on Etsy yet. I'm hoping some in-person exposure will help increase my sales, and it'll at the very least give me a chance to give out business cards to some local art supporters.

So if you live in the area (or know anyone who does), please try to come to the craft show! It's Saturday, July 25th, at Knit One One (3360 Adeline St, Berkeley, CA - close to Ashby BART). I'll be selling matted and unmatted prints for around $15-25 each, and will probably offer some percent off if you buy more than one print. Thanks!

New Pic Monday - Rock Plant?

I don't know why, but I always loved this image. It's not a terribly exciting subject, but I feel like the composition is nice, and every time I look at it, I can imagine exactly where it is, and how I felt when I took the picture. It's a lithops plant, a succulent that grows in South Africa, I think, that's supposed to look like a rock. It grows V-E-R-Y slowly, and has the most interesting texture! I hope you like it!

Featured Etsy Seller Tuesday - Kate8085!

Today, I’m featuring two wonderful Etsy sellers, Kate and John from Kate8085. Their shop features limited edition art prints in a traditional tattoo style. They are in the tattooing and body piercing business, and make these interesting prints so they can share their artistic style with a wide variety of people. They’re great for people who love the traditional tattoo style as an art form, but may not have access to traditional tattoo artists, or, like me, are too chicken to get a tattoo! I asked them a few questions, and they were kind enough to respond with thoughtful answers. I hope you enjoy getting to know them and experiencing their art!


Hurts Sooo Good Art Print. $5.

Amefaust: Both of you seem to be in the body art business. What made you decide to sell art on Etsy in addition to doing tattoos and piercings?

John is the tattoo artist, and I, Kate, am a body piercer. We both love the traditional side of tattooing, and saw Etsy as a great way to showcase that. Down where we live, not many people want the traditional style when getting tattooed, much less know anything about it. Etsy is wonderful because we can reach so many people, all over the world who love and enjoy the same style that we do, and fill their homes with it! We started painting the minis because we wanted to have an affordable option for people that want one of a kind, original, fine art. They are limited edition, too, so no one else will have anything remotely like it.


Miniature watercolor framed Crown with broken heart, Limited edition. $13.

Amefaust: What influences have contributed to your unique artistic style? Mostly tattoo influences, or something else?

JOHN: Primarily, tattooing is the main influence. Great tattoo artists like Paul Rogers, Jerry
Collins, Owen Jensen, Cliff Raven really influenced me as far as traditional work goes. These artists span from the 1930's to the 1960's. More recent tattoo artists’ work that inspires me are Uncle Allen, Mario Desa, Phil Kyle (a friend of ours), and Martin Lancaster. Artists who are not tattoo-related that I admire would be Pushead and E.J. Repka. Punk rock and skateboarding have always been a huge influence, in my art and in my life.

KATE: Travelling around the States and the world really has influenced me. Architecture, city lights, you name it. Soaking up that environment and seeing different cultures can really inspire amazing pieces. Music, love, my friends, my family, I could go on and on… Life can be extremely inspirational if you just stop and look around every once in awhile. When we were in Amsterdam on our honeymoon, a local told us to stop walking every once in a while and "LOOK UP." It was one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received! Try it some time!


His and Hers Art Print. $5.

Amefaust: I noticed on your blog that you got married recently, congratulations! You seem to have done a lot of DIY for your wedding and reception, do you have any tips for someone else who wants to plan a mostly DIY or handmade celebration like yours?

KATE: DIY is the absolute way to go! I feel it turned out wonderful, and it is amazing how your friends/family will be so excited to contribute to this monumental event. People will pay outrageous amounts for items like centerpieces. We spent one day melting and putting together, and it ended up costing us $6 total a table. I don't think you can even get one flower for $6 in a wedding centerpiece! :) Don't sweat the details - you can easily make the small items like favors, programs, table numbers, etc. All of those add up, and can really drain your budget. Make them yourself, and let your unique side show through. Who wants a boring old cookie cutter wedding, anyhow? Best advice would be to do it YOUR WAY. We have been to so many weddings that were beautiful, but unfortunately did not represent the bride and groom at all. Pour you and your partner's personality into it. The possibilities are endless, and will make for a night of fun and love.


Miniature watercolor framed Take No Sh...., Limited edition. $13.


Thanks, Kate and John! I hope you all check out their shop, Kate8085, and their blog. Good luck to both of you!