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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Winner of Theme Treasury Competition


Paula’s  Gifts Of  Love Shop

On May 18th of 2010 Etsy welcomed a new member. That was the day Paula Gsell opened her shop,  bringing her truly unique art to the fore, ready to share it with the rest of us. If you haven’t visited Paula’s shop yet you must do so.  Once there you will discover amazing designs of handcrafted fabric appliquéd t-shirts, blouses, totes, even handbags and scarves, not to mention the pillows and my favorite the hats.

It was only February of the same year that Paula started turning out her beautiful creations.   Her designs are created by individual cuts of fabrics that are fused together with heat then outlined and detailed with fabric paints, to create the beautiful totes and clothing articles you’ll find while exploring her shop.  You’ll be amazed at how easy these items are to care for, and yet rugged enough to go through the wash.   I’m blessed with several of her items a tote bag and two shirts and I just love them.  I get so many compliments and people always ask where I got them from.

About the Woman

Paula is a 57 year old woman who is divorced and caring for her elderly,  disabled mother.   Three years ago she was working as a Chef, however when her father died , she had to quit that job and it was then that she moved to care for her mother.

Paula has always loved good food and feeding others and says food has always played a big part in how she shares her life and expresses her love. She feels it is inherent in her Italian heritage.   She received her culinary training at French culinary in Houston, Texas, where she lived for 13 years.

Arts and Crafts

Paula’s always been interested in arts and crafts.  When her daughter was young she did decoupage starting out with plates. Later she went into designing furniture . She also designed tile murals and backsplashes for builders. 

Paula is hoping that her appliqué designs she does now will catch on. So far this technique has not shown up by anyone else in another shop.  She truly has a unique product and hopes that through Etsy her designs will gain popularity  and reach more people.

Making Treasuries

This article about Paula has been written and is appearing in this blog due to the fact that she won the Theme Treasury Competition for April 2012.  On being asked how she got started with making treasuries she tells us that she got started about a year ago.  She received help from the Captain of the Golden Rose Crafters, she grew to love the process and she was off and running. She tells us her favorite part of the process is working with the color schemes and the great collections from the many talented artisans of Etsy.
The advice she offers to others learning to make treasuries is to have fun and take your time to find the right creation and color flow to match the title theme.  Paula often takes many hours to create a treasury,  exploring all the many creations that our own team offers as well as all of Etsy to find the perfect fit.  And she emphasizes don’t rush,  take your time.
Golden Rose Crafters
When asked  how she felt about the team Paula had many nice comments, my modesty holds me back from printing all the wonderful compliments, suffice it to say, Paula is very happy being on this team and says the Captain and team leaders have gone far and above to help her with the things she needed to learn. She says there are a lot of very nice people on this team and everyone is very supportive of one another.
Paula is very realistic about her thoughts for the future,  realizing the world economy has a great effect on whether or not we are able to be successful in our business ventures.  She hopes to continue selling and exploring new designs and adding new creations to her shop.
As far as advice to Etsy Newbie’s, Paula reminds us be patient and have fun with whatever it is that you are creating. She says “Join a good team and learn as much as you can about promoting your art work and most of all, do it because you really love what it is you are doing.  Things made from the heart are clearly seen and show in your pieces.”
Congratulations Paula for winning Aprils’ Theme Treasury Competition.


Written by; Marilyn Rush

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