Spring glass necklace with pendant
Flapper Hat Spring Green $15.00
Handbag in Blooming Mums $30.00
Mini Origami Dress Birthday Card $3.75
What type of art work do you do?
I make handmade bags, purses, and baby items.
How long have you been creating?
I have been sewing since I was very, very young. I learned by watching my grandma, and I just haven't stopped since. I used to make gifts for family and friends and clothes and purses for myself, but after a while, I sort of ran out of space to store the results of my creative inspiration. I opened my Etsy shop in December 2007 and now I have new reasons to create!
How much time do you spend working on your craft?
I sew everyday. I reserve my days for my daughter - she's 2 years old and I stay home with her full-time. She's such a sweetheart and I love every minute I get to spend with her. I sew in the evenings when my husband gets home from work. He gets to spend some "daddy-daughter" time with her, and I get a bit of a mental break while I relax and sew.
What inspires you to create?
My biggest inspiration is color - I get so happy every time I sew a beautiful color combination. And I love working toward the goal of the finished product and the feeling of pride that comes from making something beautiful through my own creativity.
Do you have a designing process?
I rarely use patterns (and if I do, they tend to be ones I made for myself), so each design I make is slightly different. I tend to decide on a color I want to sew with that day, and then I think about my project throughout the day. By the time evening comes around, I have a fairly good idea of what I want to make.
Where do you do your creating?
When we bought our new house, one of our requirements was for me to have a sewing room all to myself so I can work undisturbed and have a place to store all my supplies. My new room is perfect - it is bright and sunny with great view of our backyard. The walls are a cheerful yellow and I am adding fun and funky accents to make it my own (mainly items I am slowly acquiring through other Etsy sellers!).
Have you always been artsy?
I have always loved all different kinds of art, although not really the traditional ones like drawing and painting. I have worked with pottery, stained glass, glass fusing, glass blowing, metal jewelry, polymer clay, basket weaving, screen printing, mosaics, woodworking, and so many more. I concentrate now on sewing mainly because I don't have room for all these other hobbies in my house!
Do you have another job?
I used to be a French teacher for 6 years. But a few years ago, I quit my job to stay home full-time with my daughter. I guess you could say she's my "full-time job", now, although she's the most fun "job" I've ever had!!
Where do you sell your pieces?
I used to do a fair amount of consignment work, but I have slowly given most of that up and now sell almost exclusively on Etsy. I love it and am so grateful to Etsy for giving me a platform to run my own business easily.
