Seriously Sparkly From Pookie and Pierre

I was so excited to discover this gem of an artist and  I couldn't look at all of her beautiful creations fast enough!  Each piece was making me hungry for the next.  That's really how it feels to visit the shop at Pookie and Pierre.  
I was so delighted to find that the proprietor, Emily, is just as sweet and sparkly as her gorgeous, hand woven, colorful and (need I say it?) sparkly jewelry.  She kindly offered to share a little bit about herself here. By the way...Emily tells me that Pookie and Pierre are her two fat French kitties who sit with her while she beads.

Hi, my name is Emily, and yes, I can be a little sarcastic, but I am also a creative, loving and at times even funny woman with a lot to give and share.

  

I've always been a bit of the creative type.   I love to write, dabble in painting, basically... create.   The ability to turn nothing into something beautiful impresses me every day and motivates me to continue.

 

My mother lost her battle with breast cancer in September 2007.  For anyone who has gone through this or been impacted personally by the disease, you understand what this means.     My mother was my best friend and biggest supporter.   Losing her was devastating.   In the grieving process, I lost my desire to create.  I stopped making jewelry.   Life truly lost its color and sparkle.

Over time, I kept coming back to a message that my mother often left me with that I never quite listened to or understood.   She always told me, very clearly, to "do what makes you happy".   I of course, being brilliant in my old age, pursued what made me money.   But those words continued to haunt me and ultimately drove me back into creating and making jewelry.    Color started to come back and life began to sparkle again.

 

 I wholeheartedly support the message behind this blog.   "Bringing forth art without apology or qualification."   What a truly empowering message that really applies to a whole lot in life.   We are who we are.   We like what we like.   We love who we love.    Embrace that fully and share it with the world.

Thanks for the opportunity to share a little of my story.    In closing, do what makes you happy, embrace your inner child/creative chaos, love those around you and take advantage of every opportunity.   You never know where life will take you.  I hope your paths are filled with a little color and sparkle and a whole lot of joy.     

 

Thank you Emily for sharing your story and fantastic jewelry with us.  You are a lovely, inspiring person and I'm truly happy I found you!  Please go visit Emily in her Etsy shop at Pookie and Pierre to see more of her sparkling jewelry and photography.

Sunshine in Sopron: by Emily.

Inspired Gorgeousness! Handspun Artyarns From Coolclimates

I came across this amazing artist while searching for my fellow sparkly Etsians.  I was just blown away by her sense of color and texture so I had to have her gorgeous yarns to share here.  She kindly took the time to answer my questions and agreed to be featured.  I am so excited to present Rachel from Coolclimates. 

Tidal Pool Handspun Artyarn

my heart be still...it has beads AND sparkle in it!

How do you choose what you will add to a piece?
 I know what I'm trying to capture before I spin the yarn so I pick items that I think will further enrich that idea. For example, with "Tropical Rainforest" I knew I wanted some tropical flowers thrown in.

Do you ever get stuck? How do you move through that?
 Yes, sometimes. I go to Ravelry and go to several of my groups who post amazing pictures and ideas for inspiration. There are lots of "challenges" (games and such) for people to spin certain kinds of yarn. I also just look through books of scenery, my travel photos, etc.

New Hampshire Handspun Artyarn

Why do you choose the colors you do?
 Again, I have a certain theme or topic in mind with the yarn before I start out. Sometimes I try to match colors in the ones through a photograph. Other times, I just pick out colors that I think will best express the idea I have in mind.

Do you have one piece that is your favorite? The one you can't part with or wish you didn't? 
 I have several. I guess "Garden of Earthly Delights" (Heironoymous Bosch) is one example. It's just so unique and I don't think I could easily make another one. Also, there are yarns that I spin that have great personal meaning to me that I'd like to hold on to.

Beach Party Handspun Artyarn

Do you listen to music when you work? If so what do you listen to?
 Yes, all the time! I listen to all kinds of music: world music, rock, etc. Some of my favorite musicians are David Bowie, Sigur Ros, the Beatles, Bjork, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Tori Amos and so many more.

Is there someone who has had an influence on you? 
I would say that Lexi Boeger and her book have had an influence on my yarn. I have been trying to spin most of the yarns in the book and have been continuing to use those techniques in my future yarn.

Nordic Light Twist Handspun Yarn

What did you dream of doing when you were a kid? If we knew you then could we guess that you would be spinning art yarn?
I wanted to be a rock star. I never would have thought that I'd be spinning artyarn.

I read in your profile that you have traveled a lot and are influenced by your travels.  Tell me how these places have influenced your work. 
 A combination of factors. Usually, it is a particular place that I visit that makes a real impression on me. Such as the Blue Lagoon in Iceland or the Puna district in the Big Island of Hawaii. Iceland, especially, has so many odd and striking color combinations. It's hard to say why I'm drawn to particular places more than others.

Chinese Lanterns Handspun Artyarn

*I really love that Rachel offers a knitted sample of some of her yarns.  Here is a sample of  the Chinese lanterns Yarn (above) knitted.

Please go visit Coolclimates shops here:

Coolclimates on Artfire

Coolclimates on Etsy