Team Spotlight! Interview with Indulge Your Shelf

MsAnomaly's interview with Indulge Your Shelf

1. When did you open your Etsy store and begin selling?
I opened my Etsy shop in August 2008 and began filling it up immediately. I originally sold all of my handmade items along with vintage finds in one shop called Indulge Your Shelf, but recently moved my hand made items into a second shop, Twice Shy Restored.

2. How did you select your shop’s name?
I selected my shop name Indulge Your Shelf in 2005; I'm a writer, so words are important to me and I always love a play on words. I wanted a name that would describe the fact that my items are primarily decor, and fun.
I chose the name Twice Shy Restored as another play on words for my hand made shop; the idea is that almost everything I make began life as something else, thus, "twice shy"; and then, "re-stored" is a play on words since the materials I use are prettied up and then sold in a shop again (re-stored.)

3. What do you create and sell in your Etsy shop?
In my hand made store, Twice Shy Restored, I create pillows and wall hangings from antique and vintage materials, lace, trims, charms, jewels, and buttons. They have a kind of collage look to them. The other decor I make is made from paper ephemera, and then sometimes I throw in "new" paper crafts, too -- but everything has a distinctly vintage look to it.

4. How did you become involved in your craft?
My grandmother taught me too treasure hunt in thrift stores when I was just old enough to walk, and I have just always been in love with color, texture, and patina. I have been rescuing beautiful bits and pieces of textiles and papers from antique, thift, and garage sales all of my life and making them into something new; I first started selling the things I made in 1992.

5. Explain your favorite part of the creative process.
I really enjoy hunting out and rescuing my materials and when it comes time to create, I love surrounding myself with all of my found materials and choosing which ones want to go together!

6. Do you sell in another Etsy store or anywhere outside of Etsy? If so, where?

I used to have a booth in an artist's co op, and I have sold my vintage items on eBay for years, but have recently phased out. I'm strictly selling my handmade items on Etsy, but would welcome wholesale orders if I could get them!

7. So far, what project are you most proud of?
So far, I'm most proud of my small pillows that are stuffed with lavender, uniquely long and skinny, and made from lovely vintage floral fabric and vintage trims and a button http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23437296

8. What advice can you give to someone who would like to learn your craft?
My craft isn't hard to learn -- it's a matter of putting your hands on the things that you love and rearranging them to their best advantage. It takes a little time and a lot of passion.

9. What motivated you to join the Etsy Beagle Street Team?
I joined the Etsy Beagle Street Team because of my wonderful beagle, Snoopy. He belongs to my son, and if I'd been the one to name him I would have named him Maxwell Smart, Max for short. He always has a slightly worried, intense expression on his face, and a kind of sly energy to him. We also have a yellow Labrador Retriever named Maggie, and a long haired kitty named Kyra.

10. Any other places we might find you (Flickr, blog, Facebook, etc.)?
You can find me on my blog: http://www.indulgeyourshelf.blogspot.com/
and on FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indulge-Your-Shelf-on-Etsy/58065005791 and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indulge-Your-Shelf-on-Etsy/58065005791#/pages/Twice-Shy-Restored-On-Etsy/80094737774?ref=ts

Team Spotlight! Interview with Cutiepie Company

MsAnomaly's interview with cutiepiecompany/Hunter'sHideaway:

1. When did you open your Etsy store and begin selling?

I opened my main shop in Jan of 2008 and began selling a month later. My second shop was opened in March of 2008.

2. How did you select your shop’s name?

Cutiepie Company--It was actually a domain name I purchase several years ago with the intention of starting my own website to sell paper goods. This was before Etsy was even around. I never did start that website, but I still own the domain name, and I thought it would be a good place to start.

Hunter's Hideaway--For my second shop name I was at a bit of a loss, so I named it after my little beagle, Hunter. Since I love alliteration, I came up with Hunter's Hideaway.

3. What do you create and sell in your Etsy shop?

I sell handmade paper goods such as notecards, journals and gift tags. In my second shop I sell magnets and pinback buttons (and also a bit of vintage and destash).

4. How did you become involved in your craft?

Good question with a long answer! I have been involved in arts and crafts since I was a kid, in one form or another. I have also had a lifelong obsession with paper goods, and harbored a secret wish to make and sell them. Actually I have been making paper goods for friends and family for a long time. I discovered Etsy one day in Dec. of 2007. Browsing paper goods here I discovered the Gocco machine, which is a portable screen printing device. I knew instantly I had to have it and that I could print my designs on notecards and fulfill my secret wish! The rest is history, as they say.

5. Explain your favorite part of the creative process.

Definitely the hands-on: The drawing, cutting, glueing, sewing, printing, painting or what-have-you. Whatever makes the biggest mess.

6. Do you sell in another Etsy store or anywhere outside of Etsy? If so, where?

In addition to the two Etsy shops I also have a shop on Dawanda.

7. So far, what project are you most proud of?

I would say it is my mixed media pieces, which are not currently for sale in my shop. I do hope to be able to sell prints of these soon. (as soon as I can afford to purchase a high-end printer that I have my eye on!)

8. What advice can you give to someone who would like to learn your craft?

I'm not sure I'm qualified to be giving advice! But I will say that for anyone interested in gocco-printing, to give it a try. It is very easy and fun as well. The only downside is the scarcity of supplies. If someone is considering purchasing a unit, make sure to google around and do a little research on it. The scarcity of supplies (bulbs and screens) has driven the cost up, so that is something to be aware of.

9. What motivated you to join the Etsy Beagle Street Team?

My love of beagles of course! I adopted my beagle about 4 1/2 years ago. Her name is Hunter and she is a sweet and lazy little lady. That's Hunter in the photo at the top of this interview post!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cutiepiecompany/3256073263/in/set-72157601933003778/

10. Any other places we might find you (Flickr, blog, MySpace, etc.)?

on Flickr:http://www.flickr.com/people/cutiepiecompany/

my blog:http://cutiepiecompany.blogspot.com/

and on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=766519425&ref=name