Shop Feature - Monika of Myeuropeantouch on ARTFIRE

Recently, Etsy and the CAST team lost one of my favorite sellers and shops.  Because of some unfortunate circumstances, Monika has closed her Etsy shop and now is selling on Artfire.  The Etsy CAST team is such a close group of Etsy Sellers and we hate to see anyone go.  In the CASTteam (Christian Artists Street Team) thread, we share our lives, share our burdens, laugh together,  pray for one another and yes, sometimes take care of business.   Monika of My European Touch was a regular in the CAST discussion thread and was always one that we could count on to make us laugh.  Those of us who have been regulars in the CAST threads will miss Monika and her witty posts. 


Here's one of her Mosaic creations that I just love.:

This is a handmade mosaic made from cut vintage fine bone china plates and is a precious piece of art.

Window Pane Mosaic

Here is what Monika says about her mosaic art process -
"I hand cut each piece of fine Bone china plates, stained glass and mirror. I do not break it by stomping on them or hitting them with a hammer. I use special nippers and glass cutters for cutting the bone china plates/stained glass into precise small pieces."

Ha!  I guess I would imagine that she threw the china off the balcony of her apartment to break into pieces or used the stomping or hammer routine.    







She has been busy - here's a few of her new listings on Artfire:

Wash Board Wall Art Wall Hanging

Here is what Monika says about this piece:
"Primed and painted, distressed - I covered this wash board with a cut china plate rim Mosaic, also using the center piece focal from another china pattern.
Grouted in an Antique White grout, finished edges with a gimp boarder and pink pearls, gives it this charming look of times gone by. Handmade clay roses tucked in the upper left corner to give this wall art hanging the special touch."

Violin Mosaic Wall Hanging

                                                                          And this one is beautiful!  "This violin is meticulously mosaic-ed with the most beautiful, hand cut china plate rim mosaic tiles. Cascading lush blooms and roses on some of my favorite vintage bone china/porcelain dinner and breakfast plates were cut into a very beautiful mosaic tesserae to cover this violin; mosaic tiles from Royal Albert and more.
The hour glass "waist line" on this violin is embellished with stained glass tile. The violin is filled in with white, pink and pale pink stained Glass tiles.
All china plates used here are in very subtle shades. The strings on this beautiful art piece are a set of pink pearls. The tail piece is accented with handmade clay roses and light green leafs. A vintage rhinestone brooch, usually found on sweaters accents the tail. A pink and white cameo sits at the scroll
This is a gift that everyone likes to receive, music lover and others alike."

So if you have been wondering where to find Monika and would like to contact her - you will have to do so through her Artfire shop  Visit http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/Myeuropeantouch to see her other beautiful creations and while there take a look at her Artfire blog post that shows the process that goes into creating her masterpieces.   It's very interesting.

Could you use some extra money?

Who couldn't? Are you creative?  Do you have some unique talent or skill?  Can you make something unusual - something that can't be purchased at the local Target or Walmart. Something that someone will see a picture of and say "I have to have it".   Would you like to use that talent to generate some additional income for yourself or your family?  Maybe you have some bills to pay off or would like to save for that something special. If so, you might want to utilize the internet to sell your handcrafted creations.  Do you have enough time to devote to creating, listing and promoting?  You can of course, set up your own web page and sell directly or you can set up shop in one of the on-line eCommerce marketplaces. Here are a few good eCommerce marketplace choices:

http://etsy.com - Their motto is  "Buy and sell handmade or vintage items, art and supplies on Etsy, the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace."   Etsy charges .20 per listing and when the item sells Etsy takes 3.5% of sale price.  You can visit etsy.com and search through the sellers in your category to get an idea of  what others are selling and for what price.  There are hundreds of thousands of sellers on Etsy and it can be very challenging for your shop to get noticed.  Here is a link to more  info about Etsy.


http://artfire.com - Their motto is "A premier handmade marketplace to buy and sell handmade crafts, supplies, vintage and art".  There are over 80,000 sellers on Artfire.  The cost for Artfire is $11.95 per month for unlimited listings and unlike Etsy there is no fee when your item is sold.  Like Etsy you can visit the Artfire site and look around at other shops and what they have for sale.  Here is a bit of history about Artfire. 

 http://handmadeartistsshop.com -  The Handmade Artists Shop is a relatively new handmade marketplace having started in December of 2009.  It is a much smaller marketplace than Etsy or Artfire. Unlike Etsy or Artfire, you cannot sell vintage (anything over 20 years old) on handmadeartistsshop.com.   No resellers, unaltered vintage, or non-handmade supplies are allowed.  They plan on closing open registration at 10,000 members and at that point, create a wait list and hand pick the remaining vendors, capping out at 20,000 members.  Take a few minutes and check out the shops and what they are selling.  You can sign up for either $5.00 per month or $50.00 per year.  There are no additional listing fees or fees when your item sells.  Here is a link to Handmade Artists' Shop info. 


Of course these are just three of many eCommerce marketplaces available on the internet.  I presently have a Etsy shop called Angels n Everlastings and at one point also had a Artfire shop but decided to close my Artfire shop to concentrate on my Etsy shop.  You'll find that setting up your shop is easy but that listing your items is just the beginning.  With over 100,000 shops on Etsy and 80,000 shops on Artfire it can be a challenge to not get lost in the crowd.  There is a wealth of knowledge available on the internet, Etsy or Artfire that will help you on this eCommerce journey.   In my next post I will  list some sources of information that will help you develop a successful eCommerce business.