An Enveloping Lass

This weeks Inspirational Artisan post is about a wonderful lass I know, Nicky. She is the heart and soul behind Ambient Girl Designs and Ambient Girl Supplies. I asked her the for her 10 most favourite things in the world.. and once again I will let my blog guest answer in their own words.

10: Coffee...without it I would be a total zombie, it gets me up in the morning and I like to relax with a coffee later on in the evening or when I'm working on tweeting, blogs, stuff.

9: Camping: I love love love camping! Once a year we go camping and it's our time to relax, have a drink, make a mess with marshmallows and have fun in the sun. I love being in the outdoors...minus bugs..I'm not a bug fan!

8: Wine... me and wine, we mesh well together! I get a lot of ideas sipping on a glass of wine and brainstorming. For those days when my creativity just needs a boost!

7: Dance: I danced for 24 years of my life, ballet, jazz, tap, Latin American, ballroom and Irish. Dancing has always been a huge part of my life and even now after retiring due to 7 foot fractures I support my fellow dancers. Dancing has always given me that feeling of freedom and nothing can take that away from you.

6: My animals. I had three cats, Gabriel, Kaleb and Smokey. Kaleb passed away at the end of April and it was one of the worst things I have been through. I also have a rescue chameleon named Pandora, she's my beautiful girl! I also have three fish. My cats are my cuddle monkeys (as odd as that sounds) and they follow me around and talk, how cute!

5: Friends: My friends are so important to me. They have been a shoulder to lean on through the hard times and we can share all our secrets, be goofballs and have a laugh.

4: South Africa: I was born and raised in South Africa. Even though it was a dangerous place, most of the best memories of my life took place there. I miss my family terribly and would go back in a heartbeat if I could.

3: Being creative: This is such a huge factor in my life that has helped me in some rough times. I love to craft and try anything new. Right now I'm obsessed with paper even though I Crafts & Design in college with a major in glassblowing and a minor in ceramics! I love getting my hands dirty and I love helping others out.

2: Other artists & crafters. I gain so much inspiration from other people especially artistic people that I can bounce my ideas off of. I have met so many wonderful people in the past year that share my passion and it's an incredible feeling when we can all come together to create something beautiful.

1: My family. I have a wonderful supportive husband and the most beautiful little boy who is so sweet natured. My parents and sister are also amazing people who work hard.

Thank you Nicky! Now I will talk about this wonderful person is an inspiration to me.

Nicky has a medical condition that will only worsen over time, one that causes pain and discomfort on a daily basis. Yet she selflessly gives her time and support to other artisans, as well as running her two Etsy stores. Her most recent gesture to fellow artisans was to open up a Ning called Indie Junction with a friend. They promote the talents of members, regardless of where online they sell.
Nicky is wonderfully talented, as can be seen by her fabulous creations in store at Ambient Girl Designs, and she loves to do custom pieces. She is my Inspiration of the Week, and I hope you will all check out her blog, Ambient Girl Designs, Ambient Girl Supplies and Indie Junction for yourself.

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Planting the Seeds of Greatness.

This blog marks the first in a series of blog posts highlighting some fabulous artists from the Handmade Artists' Forum. Every week a new artist will get the HaffinaCreations treatment, starting with Seedlings: Jewelry Because.

In an effort to write this blog I checked out Seedlings' blog, her Etsy store and her dot com. I discovered a number of interesting things.
Firstly, the brains and talent behind Seedlings is called Sharon, which is said to mean 'fertile plain'.. and I have to say this is definately quite appropriate. Germs of an idea flourish into blossoming creations in her hands. She is also heavily influenced by nature, favouring natural or recycled materials to make her creations with. She also supports Heifer International, which is about 'ending hunger, caring for the earth'.
The second thing that took my attention was her joy in sharing her knowledge with others. Her blog has many posts about optimising your online presence, with the aim of increasing sales. This includes posts about SEO and the type of photos that sell creations.
And lastly, but no means leastly, I discovered the beauty of Seedlings Jewelry Because creations. She has a wonder eye for colour and form, as well as ensuring a wonderful, quality finish on her pieces.
Take a look around her Etsy store and see for yourself, and have a read of her blog, you will not be disappointed.

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It just happened.

Today I was sitting at the computer, not really accomplishing much, when I had the overwhelming need to create a Mandala. My mum was just about to put a bug bomb in the garage where all my painting and drawing stuff had been moved due to lack of use. I was going to just search through the boxes for what I needed, but instead I grabbed the boxes and dragged them to my room.
I found a couple of watercolour paper pads, and my very favourite watercolour pencils. Then armed with my requirements, compass and ruler included, I sat down and drew and coloured until I was finished.
It isnt big, or complex... but it is colourful. My mum commented that I hadnt done one in a while, and when I thought about it I realised I hadn't drawn a Mandala since just after my daughter was born.... she turns 3 in few weeks.
So here is today's Mandala
I have had quite a large burst of creativity in the last few days, which will hopefully continue. I'm considering doing a few mandalas and listing them... but I'm not sure yet. It was a fabulous feeling to create a Mandala today and I hope to create more over the next few days. I have them tapping away in my soul.. time to free them.
Edit: I went looking and found a picture of the last Mandala I created.. back in June of 2008.. so not as long ago as I thought..but does seem a lifetime ago. It is symbolic of the changes that having my daughter made in me.
This one is actually painted on a canvas and sits above the fireplace on the mantlepiece.

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A new year, and new shop.

2010 has officially begun!! I am so excited about the possibilities for this year. I have several goals I am working towards, both in terms of my business, but also to do with my creativity, and several of them are very closely connected.. unsurprisingly!
One of the first changes for this year is that I have opened up another online shop front.
The newest addition to the HaffinaCreations family is on the Handmade Artist's Shop. I have been a member of HAF since very early in its life, and have watched it grow in leaps and bounds. I am a proud member of the HAF staff, and when I heard that there were plans to open an online selling site in conjunction with the forum I was very excited. The HAF shop is merely days old, but I am confident that it will grow rapidly under the guidance of our leaders, Andrew and Kimberly.

To any readers who might be interested in setting up a shop there as well there is one thing you will need to do, and that is sign up at the Handmade Artist's Forum and become a subscription member. Subscription costs $5 a month and this is the only cost you will have to pay, no listing fees, no commissions, nothing else. The shopping cart software is incredibly customisable and it would be a fabulous stepping stone for those who are considering opening their own website with shopping cart.
Yes, I have an interest in it growing, like many of my fellow artisans I would like to make regular sales, and the way to do that is to tell people about it.


One of my goals for this year is to make regular sales, preferably in all my shops. I know this is going to take a fair bit of work, including promotion. But I am so excited! One of the things I am looking at doing this year is some tutorials of particular polymer clay techniques, with the aim of listing them for sale in my stores.
One of my other goals is to promote at least one other artisan right here on my blog every week, along with continuing to write for HandmadeNews.org.
I wont go in to everything I will be doing this year.. it might make me chicken out LOL! Suffice it to say I will be busy, but in a fabulous kind of way. 2009 was a year of huge growth for me as an individual, and I am hoping for even more in 2010.

So keep an eye out for more promotions, both of fellow artisans, and also my growing 'family' of stores. You can now find me at
HaffinaCreations on ArtFire
BeadsByHaffina on ArtFire
HaffinaAgain on Zibbet
HaffinaAgain on Etsy
HaffinaCreations on Handmade Artists' Shop
And of course at the original HaffinaCreations on Alundra's Conundrum

To all my wonderful online friends, colleagues and fellow artisans.. Thank You for all your support and encouragement in 2009, I wish for the best for all of us for 2010.

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