By Tammy Scileppi
Amid the snow and ice here in Queens, hearts are popping up everywhere.
Whether you’re looking forward to celebrating Valentine’s Day or would rather avoid it all together, it’s hard to resist or escape all the tempting red and pink accoutrements that symbolize love and romance.
In honor of cupid, many Queens artists have been crafting creations and selling them online or at local flea markets. Using a variety of materials and oodles of imagination, their collective mantra — nothing beats making things by hand — resonates within their close-knit community, and beyond.
“We’re out there in full force,” says St. Albans mom and artist Sharon Boucher, who embellishes almost anything she can get her hands on, including dazzling hair barrettes accented with textural details and adorned with embroidery, beads, metallic threads and sequins.
Boucher transforms a variety of ladies’ accessories as well. She will take ordinary-looking scarves, hats, wrist-warmers and cashmere gloves, then glam them with brocade, silk, velvet and lace. For added bling, she painstakingly adds rhinestones, buttons and trim. Customers who visit her Etsy shop, Embellished Life, www.embellishedlife.com, also love her feminine crocheted detachable collars and zippered purses.
As part of the vibrant artist community in Queens, Boucher has met quite a few artists at local craft fairs and online, as well as through the Made in Queens program at the Queens Museum, where a selection of her items have been showcased in the gift shop. She says she plans on attending events at Queens Council on the Arts in the near future.
Even though she has a craft room, Boucher says she prefers sitting on her bedroom floor when she makes stuff, and watching old and new detective and sci-fi shows.
“I leave a trail of pins and needles all over the place,” she said. “I escape bodily injury, but the kiddies and hubs pay the price.”
Whether it’s through colors, textures, patterns, people or music, Victoria Petito says she draws inspiration from her surroundings. When she’s not working at her day job or volunteering, the Whitestone artisan designs and produces exquisite costume jewelry, colorful baubles, and fun picture frames from her small apartment studio. Then she sells her custom creations online, from her popular Custom Creative Etsy, www.customcreative.etsy.com, shop.
“I love hearts and anything pink or red, so it’s like Valentine’s Day every day of the year in my shop,” Petito said. “However, I do tend to add even more love-inspired items for the holiday and try to add a few new items every week. Most of what I make is OOAK, or one of a kind, so once it’s sold you probably won’t see it again.”
And what does she think about the artist community here?
She relishes the fact that the borough pulses with an international flavor and feel. Pieces from around the globe are able to inspire her without requiring her to leave her neighborhood, she said. That’s not to say, the scene doesn’t have some drawbacks.
“Queens has a bounty of talented artists. But as far as a community, it seems that Long Island City and Astoria are the hubs of most organized artist activity,” she said. “Outside of these areas, it’s hard to find other artists to connect with. It’s not that there aren’t artists in every part of Queens; it’s just that they aren’t as connected.”
For Petito, her artistic connections come from her childhood spent on a farm and her life today in the city.
“Now, I’m always wanting to try something new,” she said. “I’m a student of the world, inspired by all of my senses. I believe that beauty can be found in the most unexpected things: colors, shapes, scents, texture, sounds, and spirit all have the ability to inspire me.”
Pamela Davis spends her time shuttling between her job at a medical center in Manhattan and her South Richmond Hill home’s basement studio.
“Designing and making my jewelry brings calm and serenity to my otherwise busy schedule,” said Davis. “I started out just making jewelry for myself and my grown daughter. Friends, family and associates noticed our jewelry when we wore it, and began to make requests.”
The artist said crafting is her favorite pastime but beading is her passion.
“I love shopping for beads and creating new designs. I love the colors, shapes and different materials,” she said. “I usually think of the season — the colors, activity and mood associated with it then take out a variety of beads and findings and try different patterns to create a design.”
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Davis has created a line of heart accents, including red glass hearts with brushed silver, hearts surrounding a Swarovski crystal cube and even black open heart earrings. She sells her items at www.etsy.com/shop/Daring.
So, what inspires her creativity?
“Life — the fact that I awake to see the sun, to experience good health, have a job, can enjoy family and friends,” said Davis.
Yolanda Dégraff is a talented young artisan and graphic design student living and working in the Rockaways. She says she tries to get creating time in as the inspiration comes, or when the occasion calls for it. Her handmade “delights” feature uniquely designed greeting cards, invitations, note cards, gift tags, art prints and more — items she sells in her Silver Cloud Delights shop on Etsy, www.etsy.com/shop/SilverCloudDelights.
“For Valentine’s Day, I’m creating special cards for couples who want to celebrate, without all the pink and red usually associated with the holiday,” she said. “I’m also creating some fun Valentine cards that do feature the pinks and reds. This year, I’ve catered to those in the DIY market too, with hundreds of paper hearts.”
Coming from a creative family, Dégraff says she always loved to create things. These days, she makes cards for her shop using a range of background papers, card stock, stamps and embellishments. It takes her about 15 minutes to an hour to create one card.
“If a design doesn’t turn out quite the way I’d envisioned, I let the materials lead the way and see what becomes of it. If it turns out too badly, I drop it into my scrap box to be remade at another date or repurposed into confetti,” she said. “The way I see it, creative ‘disasters’ always have a silver lining.”
