"Ethereal" Treasury on Etsy ♥

Curated by Art Savvy Studio for the Etsy Marketeers Team

Supporting Artists Team on Handmade Top 10

I'm a member of the Supporting Artists Team on Etsy and we need your votes on Handmade Top 10! You will find so many beautiful items from a wonderful and talented group of artisans. If you could take just a couple of minutes to vote for as many items as you can, it would be greatly appreciated! ♥ Below are just a few of the pieces from the artists on our team...please click on the picture below, Thank you!

Etsy Success Guide - get one. now. you'll ♥ it!

Wow. I should be utterly ashamed of myself! I haven't posted in a while and I will be up front and honest and tell you...it's Etsy's fault. haha! No, seriously though, I've been burying my creative nose in my shop, meeting fellow Etsyians, joining teams and really engrossing myself in the wonderful community of Etsy! Let's talk about what this means for a second...SUCCESS. yeppers, my sales are climbing and I'm confident in carving out my little corner of Etsy.

However, I can't take all of the credit. What it means to be an Etsy shop owner, is not simply putting your beautiful items up and hoping that hoards of people will flock to your fantastic shop in droves, all the while throwing purchases at you. Nope. It isn't so. It takes work, dedication and the driving ability and confidence to promote yourself. It takes TIME. Believe me, I'm the kind of girl who loves instant gratification but let me tell you something, if you really take your time and study Etsy and what the community has to offer, you will succeed.

This then brings me to Heather and her Etsy shop - TheBuzz. I purchased her Original Etsy Complete Success Kit and I couldn't be happier. She is an Etsy sellers dream come true. Her Success Kit is the Original and she has packed it with all of the information, guidance, secrets and tips and tactics you need to get your shop noticed. Heather is extremely professional and holds credentials that you can be comfortable with when purchasing her Kits. I THANK HER from the bottom of my heart for opening my eyes to all things Etsy and giving me the selling confidence that I needed for my shop to be seen.

So, if you're serious about your Etsy shop, and I truly believe all handmade artisans are, then purchase her Kit. You will not be disappointed.

You can find her here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBuzz?ref=seller_info

The fantastic, wonderful and stupendous Kit: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76104836/sale-original-etsy-complete-success-kit

Okay, go get one. :)

Melissa ♥

Spring Time, Sister Spots & Sea Gulls ♥

I truly am a huge lover of snow and Wintertime. It's my favorite season. I can admit it. I'm not ashamed. ha! People in my little city get really tired of the snow and cold very quickly. I tend to relish in it and I secretly like it and smile inside when everyone around me is grumbly and cranky about it. However, there certainly is something about Springtime. It's so fresh and new. I just love it! ♥  Spring is slowly trying to arrive here in my little city on the Lake. I remember last year, it was snowing on May 5th. yep. crazy, huh? The air is changing, though. You know that feeling you get when the air outside smells different? It smells familiar and new all at the same time and you welcome it like an old friend that you haven't seen in years. New beginnings, new life...tiny little green sprouts pushing their way up through the still cold ground.

My sister, Hallie and I like to spend Sister time down at the Bay of Lake Erie or anywhere at Presque Isle State Park...we love to be by the water. We call them our Sister Spots. A couple of weeks ago, we took some time out of our busy entrepreneurial lives and decided that it was due time to head to one of our Sister Spots. We grabbed some Tim Horton's coffee and headed down to the Bay. Here are a few pictures I took of the friendly sea gulls who are feeling the change in the air as much as we are! :)  

♥ not a cloud in the sky ♥

♥ posing in front of our Bicentennial Tower ♥

 

 

♥ on the bay ♥

It was quite chilly that day, but I could certainly see the excitement in the eyes of the gulls...the clear sky, crisp and perfectly blue. The residual ice on the bay didn't fool them, they were playful and cheerful knowing that warmth is just around the corner. ♥ I learned from those gulls, that anticipation with cheerful patience will certainly bring sunshine. ♥

melissa xo

Sketchbook ♥

Every night I take my sketch book to bed with me...it has become a bit of a "I have to do it to sleep better" kinda thing...I sketch a few pictures and they are mostly created for paintings. I really love the free sketchy feel of all of them and for a long time I wanted to bring them to life other than through paint. So, I introduced myself to the wonderful world of digital color! wow. I'm addicted, to say the least. I scan my sketches and bring them into photoshop and color away. Without further ado, let me introduce you to Anna - she's inspired by a wonderful friend of mine from my childhood, who in recent years I have been able to reconnect with. ♥ She's a lovely girl who enjoys reading such books as Jane Eyre and I think "Anna" has that "Jane Eyre" feel to her. While I was sketching her, my friend Anna kept popping up in my head...so, I respectively gave her that beautiful name - inspired by an equally beautiful person ♥

Melissa xo

"Anna"

In the wake of a tragedy, blooms creativity. ♥

One of my most defining moments in my adult life is when I was introduced to the Japanese Culture. I attended a liberal arts college, so along with all of my art classes I had to complete many core classes, such as History, Psychology, Religion courses and so on. In my senior year one of the classes I chose was Japanese Culture. From the moment I stepped into that class, there was a calming air about the room.

My professors name was Keiko Miller. She was one of the most inspiring, driven, strong, disciplined women I have ever had the privilege of knowing. In addition to all of her strong characteristics, she embodied kindness and warmth that was almost visible around her. She taught me many things, both by wrote and by spirit. One particular lesson she taught me was during my exit interview during finals. I expressed to her quite simply that I was going to miss her and how much of a profound affect she had on me throughout the term. She simply stated...

"In Japanese Culture, we believe that whoever you meet in your life, even for a brief moment, you are forever connected in spirit."

wow, right?

In the wake of the tragedy that Japan has endured, I have revisited that philosophy over and over again in my mind. The comfort that it brings is astronomical. As an artist, I tend to view myself as a problem solver. I want to make sense of the tragedy, yet...you find no logical explanation. Then, you revisit inspiring moments in your life such as Keiko's statement and all seems okay. I find comfort in believing that, because their culture is such a strong, spiritual and disciplined one, through that, they will find peace.

Here are two pieces of my work that have been inspired by Keiko and what she has taught me.

oh, she taught me a great song in Japanese too. :) Something about a monster and how his pants fall down and he has to pull them back up....okay, that was random. haha! However, I will find the song and post it. :)

8" x 10" print - "Keiko"

8" x 10" limited edition print - "Kokeshi Sisters"

Melissa xo

Flora for my Friend! ♥

Happy Saturday Night Everyone! :) For the past couple of weeks I've been on the computer, revamping my site, starting my blog that you see here and I hadn't picked up a paintbrush for a bit and yesterday I got the "itch"...we creatives know that "itch"...where you just can't. stop. thinking. about paint, paintbrushes and the like. So, I pried myself away from my computer and created this little romantic owl ♥ - here's to spring flowers on their way!

Melissa xo

"Flora for my Friend"

Irish Owls are Smiling :)

say hello to owly o'malley...He will be available in my shop in 5" x 7" print to help you celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

welcome to my purple studio! ♥

I want to personally welcome everyone to my new blog! I'm super excited about releasing it, its purpose is to celebrate the creative process, inspiration, imagination and ART! I also intend to keep everyone up to date on the happenings of my company, Art Savvy Studio - www.artsavvystudio.com ♥ So, essentially it's a never ending party and celebration! whoo hoo! Who doesn't love a good party, right?

Well, at any good party it's important to introduce the host...My name is Melissa McGraw Petrusch and I'm a full time artist who creates all of my work from my purple studio in Erie Pa. ♥

♥  my purple studio ♥

It's a wonderful little creative nook and when I cross that threshold I lose myself in my creative world. That world is filled with owls with umbrellas, owls who play guitar, birdies with hats and scarves, fairy tales galore, crazy black kitties, jazzy cats, alice and her wonderland...and the list continues. It's a fun little world, where I revisit my childhood passion on a daily basis that I've always kept so close to my heart. ♥

So, let's get this party started, eh?!? :) 

Melissa xo