The Second Annual Winter Wonderland EAST Event!

EAST's 2nd Annual Winter Wonderland Event is happening now! Running from Nov.28 thru Dec.15, EAST member shops are celebrating the season with special sales promotions, and crafting unique new items! Search Etsy.com using the WWEE tag to find participating items.

Symbolism of the Sacred - The Pentagram Star

Exploring the sacred meaning of symbols and imagery with beautiful and inspiring examples from members of the EarthPath Artisans Street Team.

The Pentagram Star:
The pentagram or pentacle is a five pointed star which fits perfectly into a pentagon and often appears within a circle. It is associated with the number five and all expressions of fiveness including five fingers, five senses, five Platonic volumes and five elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. This fifth element of spirit is also known as quintessence, the source of the word quintessential which speaks to us of heart and soul. Slice open an apple or a pear and see the five pointed star in the arrangement of the seeds. The flower of almost every edible fruit has five petals.
Over a period of 8 years the planet Venus traces a pentacle in the sky. This was known by many early civilizations including the Mayans, Egyptians and Greeks. It is no wonder that this five pointed star is associated with the Goddess, mystery and magic.
Through it's mathematical connection to the Fibonacci spiral and the Golden ratio it has qualities of regeneration, harmony and beauty. From ancient times this star has been used to ward off evil and can be used in the home, in rituals or worn as protection.

This beautiful print by magickmermaid titled 'Goddess Heart in Circle" perfectly expresses the relationship between the five pointed star, the Goddess, the circle of life and the essence of the heart. The yellow trefoil knot is a symbol of unity and harmony. This would be perfect as a meditation or altar piece, or simply as a decoration in your home.

I love the subtle quality of this knotted pentacle pendant by knottysheep. Based on a Chinese knot called wufu, which literally means "five fortunes, this pendant is a beautiful and profound weaving of East and West. It could be worn as protection or for good luck and prosperity.


For more beautiful pentagram inspired creations search using the words' east team' and then 'star', 'pentacle' or' pentagram' on Etsy.com.

This feature has been prepared for you by Morgen of Inkyspider Textile Designs and Kootsac re-usable bulk food bags.

Symbolism of the Sacred - The Spiral

Exploring the sacred meaning of symbols and imagery with beautiful and inspiring examples from members of the EarthPath Artisans Street Team.

The Spiral:
The spiral is one of the most widespread shapes and energetic movements in nature. Spirals can be found in the design of galaxies, the unfurling of embryos, the cochlea of the ear and in the tiny curling tendrils of some plants. It is no wonder that it is such a powerful symbol all over the world for regeneration, transformation and birth.
The spiral is symbolic of the Great Mother. As it ascends upward it transforms matter into spirit and as it descends downward spirit is materialized into matter. The Latin word for mother is mater and gave rise to the word matter. The spiral represents the Great Mother's generative powers to bring life into being through transformation.

This Spiral Healing Hand pendant comes from the shop of Spiritmama. The design on this bamboo pendant has been lazer carved by Lisa Coltman of SunFusion.biz. This native American glyph represents the healing hand or the power of regeneration.


This Wild Heart of Earth amulet pouch has been made by Greenfingers out of the wool of local Oregon sheep and alpaca. A soft and gentle spiral rests within this small magical pouch. Perfect for holding a crystal or other sacred object.

For more beautiful spiral inspired creations search using the words' east team spiral' on Etsy.com.

This feature has been prepared for you by Morgen of Inkyspider Textile Designs and Kootsac re-usable bulk food bags.

It's Time for the Spirited Autumn Event!

It's time for The Spirited Autumn Event! From Monday, September 22nd (the Fall Equinox) until Monday, October 6, Members of Etsy's Earthpath Artisans Street Team are offering special promotions on selected items in their shops. The event focuses on Fall Themed and Magical items, just in time for Halloween! Search Etsy using the TSAE tag to find participating items.

Here are just a few of the items that are participating:

Winners of EAST's Gypsy Design Challenge!........

The Gypsy Design challenge voting has ended and we have winners!
Thank you to everyone who voted!

Figgy, of FromtheFigTree won with her beautiful Gypsy skirt

Congratulations!!!



Liz, of LizStaley, came in second place with her adorable Anime plushie


And Dismissie came in third with her Gypsy wagon


Everyone who participated was so creative, I'm just blown away! Thank you so much!

Don't forget to vote!

There's only a week left to vote for our Gypsy Challenge! It's really easy, just vote on the poll to the right of this entry!

Here's our official write-up about the challenge:

The EarthPath Artisans Street Team (EAST) is having a Gypsy Design Challenge! Team members have taken their interpretation of what the word "Gypsy" conjures up for them, and created new pieces in a variety of media.

The purpose of this challenge is not to win prizes or compete with each other; rather, it's a way to build team camaraderie and inspire us to explore new themes and stretch our creative muscles. And for the winner, it means a little extra attention from an adoring public! Winners will be posted on the blog and on Etsy.

So stop by the EAST Challenge page on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/earthpathchallenge
to see pictures of the entries, and then go vote at the EAST blog
http://earthpathartisans.blogspot.com
You can also see many of the entries in the members' shops by visiting the team shop's favorite items page.
http://earthpathartisans.etsy.com

EAST's Gypsy Challenge Begins! Come Vote!

The EarthPath Artisans Street Team (EAST) is having a Gypsy Design Challenge! Team members have taken their interpretation of what the word "Gypsy" conjures up for them, and created new pieces in a variety of media.

The purpose of this challenge is not to win prizes or compete with each other; rather, it's a way to build team camaraderie and inspire us to explore new themes and stretch our creative muscles. And for the winner, it means a little extra attention from an adoring public! Winners will be posted on the blog and on Etsy.

So stop by the EAST Challenge page on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/earthpathchallenge
To see pictures of the entries, and then go vote at the EAST blog
http://earthpathartisans.blogspot.com
You can also see many of the entries on Etsy by visiting the team shop's favorite items page.
http://earthpathartisans.etsy.com

Voting ends July 21st.
We'll see you there!

ACEOs and why I love them

I've been making a LOT of ACEOs lately. I mean a lot. I've made 31 ACEOs in as many days, practically. I'm actually making 100 ACEOs, at least, all from a theme list just because I wanted to do the creative exercise and think "outside my box."

So, now that you know how obsessed I am with ACEOs, let me tell you what they are. I get asked a lot what "ACEO" is. ACEO stands for "Art Card Editions and Originals." What they are is 2.5 inch by 3.5 inch works of art. Those are the ONLY rules! They can be any medium, any thickness, any subject. I've seen ACEOs made of felt, yarn, polymer clay, paper, wood, metal, glass... the list could literally go on forever. They can be any thickness, so long as the front is 2.5 x 3.5. Most people though make them so they can fit inside a standard playing card sleeve- but they don't have to.

I know what you're about to ask me. You keep seeing the acronym "ATC" as well as "ACEO" and want to know what the difference is. ATC is Artist Trading Card, which is what ACEOs started as. Artists would make them and trade them with others. But, apparently people who aren't artistic wanted to start collecting them, so ACEOs were made- and ACEOs could be sold rather than being traded. This opened the little art craze up further and allowed non-artists to get into collecting.

There's a lot of other information available on ACEOs as well. You can check out Wikipedia, Art-Cards.org, and ACEO.org for more information, or simply enter "ACEO" or "ATC" into Google and browse through. They are very popular on both Etsy, Ebay, and even sites that specialize in JUST ACEO sales!



Alright, so now I've told you a little bit about what an ACEO is, now you're thinking "Okay, that's great, but why the obsession, Liz?"

I'm obsessed with both making AND collecting ACEOs right now. I'm obsessed with making them for many reasons. For one thing, they're really easy for me to store- much easier than storing sketchbooks or prints, that's for sure. Especially since I'm already a card game nerd, so I have boxes for "Magic: The Gathering" cards laying around anyway (which, by the way, are the perfect size, so if you have a local gaming or card shop, you can go there for all your display/storage needs, for the most part! Support your local gaming store!). I also love that they're portable without me having to carry a bag around. I usually only carry a wallet in my pocket, no purse. I take a messenger bag with me if I'm going off to a gaming session or something, but that's it.

So, with ACEOs, I can literally grab a few blanks, wrap my theme list around theme, grab a mechanical pencil, and shove all of that in my pocket and go. I took my hubby to get a haircut last weekend and this was exactly what I did too. While he was getting his haircut, I pulled out the cards and started drawing. So convenient to work on!

Not only that, but they take a little bit less time to do than my full-size pieces, and I've found excuses to experiment with a bunch of mediums that I normally don't use- like watercolor, acrylic paint, and collage. And it's been so much fun too!
I love collecting ACEOs because it gives me an affordable and easy way to collect art from artists I love. My collection is really small, but at the end of this week I'll have about a dozen ACEOs from seven different artists... all for under $25! (Granted, a lot of those have come from trades though other artist friends, but still! With the trades added in, I've gotten all that lovely art for under $50! And only TWO of those are prints instead of originals!) That's incredible for a collection of original art!

"Fine then, these things sound pretty cool... But what am I supposed to do with these things once I have them?"

I'm so glad you asked! I happen to have a few ideas! For one thing, they would look great in a binder with the card pages they sell at shops to hold baseball/trading card game/collectible cards. Or, you can find great display books specifically made for displaying ACEOs (Imagine having some beautiful original art pieces as your coffee table book!). Or, if you'd prefer to decorate your walls with your new small art collection, most super stores that have a section for picture frames will also have 2.5x3.5 frames (I've found them at Wal-Mart for about $2.50 each- very nice black ones too that look fabulous). Or, if you can't find ACEO frames, you can frame two ACEOs together in one 3.5x5 frame as well. If you're feeling really adventurous, get a ACEO mat in a size that you like (I've seen them up to 8x10 size). There are also Baseball card frames that hold a bunch of cards in one display, so you could group bunches of them together. (I found out about these while at my local Michael's- their's held about 20 though)

Another idea that I've heard around the Etsy forums for displaying art cards is to buy Deck Protectors (I recommend Ultra Pro- the trusted name in all geeky gaming circles for card protection) and attach a magnet strip to the back of the sleeve. Now, you can slip a card into the sleeve, and hang art on your fridge, metal door, white board, or any other magnetic surface you can think of! And, when you want to rearrange because you got more art to display, it's easy to move the sleeves (or the cards!) around. I know someone on Etsy who was going to do this to the inside of their apartment door since they couldn't paint the door. What a great idea- and definitely a great conversation piece for when company is over!

Well, I hope I've provided some insight into ATC/ACEOs, what they are, and why they're so darned addicting! In case you haven't realized it yet, all the images in this entry were done by me- all over the past month in my ACEO madness. Most of them are still available in My Etsy Shop, but they all are one-of-a-kind, so grab them up quick if you fall in love with one! ;)

Winter Wonderland Challenge ~ Vote & Win!

Dec.15- Jan.7th
The EAST team has issued a challenge to all members to create an item that falls in the theme of Winter Wonderland. Voting will be open to all Etsy members: Pick your favorite item here and heart it! The entry with the most hearts wins! There will be four winners. Gift packs filled with promotional items from participating member shops will sent to four lucky voters, determined in a random drawing on January 7th!

Here's a few of the items crafted for the challenge, but you can see all the entries here in the favorites of the EAST team shop.

Revelate on IndiePublic!

Congratulations to our very own Revelate for becoming IndiePublic's
Member of the Day!!!
To see the front page featuring her, as well as checking out her space
there, please see:
http://www.indiepublic.com/

Or you can see her shop on Etsy

EAST Autumn Challenge Winners!!!

Yesterday our "Autumn Colors & Falling Leaves Design Challenge" was judged by Etsy Labs! There were 40 wonderful and crafty entries.
The winners are:
Funky Devaz


Ravenshold


RachealAnilyse



Azurefire



I'm amazed at all the creative entries, across many different
mediums. Thanks to everyone who participated! To see all the listings for the Challenge entries , search AutumnEast as a tag, or you can go look at the favorites here in the team account,
http://www.etsy.com/favorite_listings.php

Here's the article that Etsy labs did for the winners and about the event!
http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/spotlight/article/etsy-earthpath-
artisans-design-challenge-winners/431/

Nice job, Everyone!
blessed be,
tracyw, SummerSea