Meet Peggy Paliotta of Starlet Glam Bath & Body - Featured Artist

Bath Products... We all need them as we all use them.  But did you know that most commercial based bath products are not that good for you. With skin sensitivities and allergies to chemicals, it's really great to know that there are alternatives.

Today I would like to introduce Peggy Paliotta of Starlet Glam Bath and Body, a fellow member of The Artisan Group, Peggy's products are 100% Natural and Free from detergents, SLS and sulfates, are Vegan Friendly and my personal favorite... Not Tested On Animals.    

How and when did you discover your love for your craft/art?
Growing up, I was always involved in Arts & Crafts. I dabbled in Painting, Graphic Design, Hat Making, Jewelry Design (Polymer Clay). While I enjoyed each craft I felt something was missing. One day I discovered a DIY lip balm article that peaked my interest. The web site also sold soapmaking supplies such as various soap bases and fragrances. Bath & Body products have always been an addiction for me so I knew this would become my passion!

Do you remember the first piece you ever made?
My first soap experience was making bars with a base called soap noodles. They had to be cooked in a crock pot. While it was fun it didn't turn out as expected. Some batches became burnt and fragrances dissipated.

Valentine Fuchia Pink Pin Up Girl

Every Artist has a creative process, can you explain yours?
My creative process varies depending on what products I'm making. For the most part it begins with fragrance, recipe ingredients, color and sometimes a theme name. I love the challenge of having several projects going on at once.

When people start doing their craft/art, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them. How has your work changed since you began?
My craft began with glycerine soaps only. I grew an interest to incorporate a line of Bath and Body Products. My collection now includes Body Butters with Shimmer, Body Creams, Sugar Scrubs, Whipped Cream Soaps, Body Balms, Milk Bath Fizz, Perfume Oils, Specialty Soaps, Lip Balm Shimmer and Mineral Lip Tints.

Goat Milk Bath Fizz

What inspires you creatively?
Creating new products, fragrances, theme names and designing my labels. I draw inspiration from Old Hollywood Glamour. I love the famous Bombshells and Burlesque Queens of that era.

Can you tell us about some important goals you have achieved with your work?
In addition to acquiring wholesale accounts, and selling my products at one of the top 5 Gift Shops in L.A. (Handmade Galleries), I'm so excited to be a member of The Artisan Group! It's such an inspiration to interact and support other talented artisans who are just as passionate about their craft as I am. The opportunity to gift celebrities and donate to charities is the perfect addition to help grow my business!

Marshmallow Confection Lip Balm

Who are some of your favorite artists/crafters and why?
Talented members of The Artisan Group as well as the E.F.O.E (Eclectic Friends of Etsy) Team I'm a member of. They both feel like family.

Any goals for the future you would like to share?
I'm so excited to announce that Starlet Glam will be represented by The Artisan Group at The MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge in June. Talk about a Glam opportunity! Our Bath & Body products will be gifted to 100 celebrities. Products will include Sugar Scrubs: Almond Cookie and White Truffle Raspberry. Body Creams: Iced Lemon Biscotti, Pink Grapefruit, Red Velvet Cake and Vanilla Champagne. Alo included will be coordinating lip balm shimmers.

A few other goals I have would be to rent a kiosk/cart space at our popular mall; or to open up my own retail store.

White Truffle Raspberry Sugar Scrub

What do you do in your spare time?
I love hanging out with family and friends, my cat, traveling, shopping, listening to music and going to rock concerts. I'm a Rocker chic!

If you are displaying or selling your craft/art? Where?
I'm selling my products in my Etsy shop http://www.starletglambathbody.com as well as Studio B Salon & Beauty Boutique, RI and Handmade Galleries in L.A. I also do several juried craft shows throughout the year.

Almond Cookie Perfume Oil

If you sell online or at physical store. How many hours per week to you spend in the creative side versus the business side?
I normally spend more time creating. But I try to include a few days per week for the business side.

What advice would you give to someone who want to start out or start a business in their craft/art?
I would say if you're passionate about your craft to give it a shot. It's a good idea to join groups or forums that relate to your craft where you'll have a lot of opportunities to learn and meet others.

*****

Thank you Peggy for taking time to tell us more about you.  Be sure to visit Peggy at her sites and check out all her wonderful products.

• Shop: http://www.starletglambathbody.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StarletGlam
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/StarletGlam
• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/starletglam/

*****

MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge - The Journey So Far

Well it's been almost two months since I've announced that I will be participating at the MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge presented by GBK Production through my membership with The Artisan Group.  I've been working feverishly coiling and cutting over 10,000 little brass, stainless steel, copper and bronze rings and getting them connected together to make 100 Chainmaille Pendants that will be inside the Celebrity Swag Bags.

So far I am please to say 65 Pendants are made and ready for me to do the final tweaks.  As long as I keep doing my personal quota of five pendants per day, I should be completely done by the end of this month.  However there are other things I need to do such as labeling, packaging, writing out my bio, making sure I have enough business cards.

Dodecahedron Chainmaille Balls

The picture above is a sampling of what I've been doing.  These little chainmaille balls, called Dodecahedron, will be the focus of the pendants I'm making.  It takes 96 little rings to make up one ball, really fun!  I'm not going to post the finished piece quite yet..  Still want it to be a bit of a surprise.... I can tell you the name of these pendants..... Fidget.

I can, however, show you the creation that will be displayed at the table during the event.  It's one of my Signature Chainmaille Tree of Life Decor...

Chainmaille Tree of Life Home Decor

I still haven't given it a name yet... still got some time for that.

So there you go... with some planning and scheduling, I am half way there and will be ready for the big day in June.

MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge - The Journey Begins

I have exciting news for everyone!

Through The Artisan Group,  One hundred of my Chainmaille Creations to be given out to celebrities that will attend the 2012 MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge presented by GBK Productions.

These Creations will be placed in swag bags together with other great Artists who belong to The Artisan Group.

We will also have one of our Creations at The Artisan Group display table during the two day event for photo opportunities with the celebrities who visit.

The MTV Movie Awards date is set for June 3, 2012. The Celebrity Gift Lounge is slated for the same weekend.

Now the fun part.. to prepare all the little jump rings in order to make one hundred gifts.  I have already started coiling and cutting wire, then to the tumbler those little rings go.  Preparing the rings is a tedious task, in total I will need to make approximately 10,000 rings in various gauges, sizes, and metals.

What exactly am I going to make?  Well that's a bit of a secret right now... in the mean time here's a picture of some little rings I will be using,

20 gauge, 5/32" ID Jeweler's Brass

There's approximately 1,200 Jeweler's Brass rings.. and that's only the beginning.

I'll be posting updates of how I'm doing in future posts... Stay tuned!



More information about The Artisan Group can be found at their Website, and follow them on Twitter, too.