Damask

Friday, September 24, 2010

Featured Seller Friday


Another Friday - another weekend to look forward too! At least the weeks go fast these days :)

Meet April, the creator behind the Etsy shop MaggieandBeatrice, which has the most adorable items! She also has a great blog, where she often posts tutorials of the items she makes. I most definitely will try my hand at the handmade flower on the onesie :) Now I just need a niece.....

What is your life story?
My story is a simple one, certainly not original, but I am fond of it. High School sweethearts fall crazy in love, get married, and penny pinch their way through college. After school they move back home to start their family. The Lord blesses them with 2 blue-eyed boys and one brown-eyed girl. They raise their children in the country surrounded by Grandparents to love on them, Aunts and Uncles to spoil them, and lots of cousins to run wild with. Ten years later they are still crazy in love.
Where does your inspiration come from?
The inspiration for my MaggieandBeatrice shop comes primarily from my daughter. I didn't think I wanted a daughter (I know that sounds awful!) but I had my two boys who I adored and when I found out I was pregnant for the third time I thought "Great! Another blue-eyed boy to chase after." Naturally, I was surprised when the doctor announced I was expecting a girl. Needless to say she has rocked my world. The mom who thought she didn't want a daughter is completely and utterly smitten! I started sewing and making hair clips for her and discovered how much I loved creating all these pretty, girlie things.

How did you hear about Etsy?
A friend told me about Etsy and I was blown away at all the amazing things people were creating all around the world. Since I am a stay-at-home mom with young children, Etsy seemed like a good fit. I opened my store in February of this year.

How would you explain your style?
My style is hopelessly and unashamedly old-fashioned (with a touch of whimsy).

What is your favorite book?
Wow, that's tough. That's like asking which one of my children I like best. For the sake of the interview I will choose; "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. Although, "Persuasion" by Jane Austin, and "A Room with a View" by E.M Forester would be very close 2nd and 3rd.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Update on the sunshine....

It was a cool, cloudy morning so I took advantage of it by taking Brooklyn on a walk, then went to the park and photographed a bunch of Etsy items. Check my shop for new burp cloths popping up all week! I listed a John Deere-themed set and it sold within half an hour! Woo hoo!

About an hour after I got home from photographing everything, the clouds cleared and the sky is blue and the sun is shining! Now off to the vet with the kitty. She has recently been "missing" the litter box - she is either sick, or now prefers using my husband's socks and shoes as her new potty. Sigh.

Treasury Tuesday

Today's Treasury is called "Hoping for a touch of SUNSHINE on this GREY, cloudy day," in honor of the overcast sky and my hopes for a bit of sun. Then again, overcast days are the best for photographing my Etsy items, so I am hoping to get out to the park today to photograph a bunch of new burp cloths I have been working on. Then, it will be off to sewing my nephew's FIRST birthday gift! Time flies....

Happy Tuesday!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Featured Seller Friday

Meet Jennifer, known as Folkart on Etsy. I absolutely LOVE her "Mr & Mrs" wooden sign, which made it into my country-themed wedding Treasury on Tuesday. She has a fabulous shop, however, she is GIVING BIRTH as I type, and her shop is currently set on "vacation mode" so I cant steal any cool pictures from her shop. But she graciously answered my questions while waiting for labor to start, and check her shop out in a week or so to see all her awesome items!
What is your life story?
I was a only child growing up in a small town in Connecticut, with a love for creativity and a desire to have my own business . Looking back, I realize that my parents gave no boundaries to my creativity, and always supported my choices no matter what direction they could or would take me. In high school I planned to attend an art college. Toward the middle of my senior year I made a very difficult decision and changed my plan. Looking back now, I think that the decision to go to college was me trying to conform to a more stereotypical traditional career. But, as my mother always said “you can’t change the spots on a leopard.” Year after year I would take small steps, knowing my desire was to one day have my own business, selling my art work. Fifteen years ago I began selling antiques at local shows and on Ebay. Searching for a way to combine my creativity and my love for found items, I used artists such as Jean Dewey and Peter Hunt as my inspiration, painting on anything I could find. Always looking for something new to offer to my customers, I created a collection of signs with a vintage look and listed them on Etsy. Then in July of 2008 I received a email that requested a sign for a wedding. Little did I know that one email was going to be the start of what has become a fabulous business for me. Looking back I was thrilled to sell one or two signs a month, that quickly began changing. I started receiving orders on a daily basis. My husband and I were still living in a apartment at the time and I was painting signs on my dining room table, my office was the living room sofa, and I traveled to my parents almost every day to cut wood. But I was determined to make this work and took every order that came along. Needless to say, space was getting tight. Thankfully I have a very supportive and tolerant husband. Last September we bought our first home, it had everything I would need for Funki Folk Art to continue to grow. Our dining room table is now used only for eating, we can sit on our sofa without having to move the “office“, and I even have a small workshop all to myself. I never in my wildest dreams imagined as a child or even 15 years ago that I would be selling my work to brides all over the world, been mentioned on countless websites, and this year have had my signs in two bridal magazines. The success that I have achieved this far has been more than I ever expected. I do owe some of my success to my parents and husband. Anyone who lives with a artist, understands that traditional is not a common word in their language. This week we are expecting the arrival of our first child. I hope I am able to give him the freedom to create anything that his mind imagines, as my parents did for me. Whether it is painting a mural on his bedroom wall or taking the road less traveled.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
I spend countless hours every week looking at weddings, signs, and antiques online. I’m always striving to find a unique idea that I'm able to mix my look with. Since wedding styles change every season and every couple wants to their wedding to be one of a kind, I always look for that one piece that will make a wedding unique and memorable, and set my signs apart from all others.

How did you find Etsy and when did you decide to open your shop?
I was selling on Ebay for about ten years, and a buyer suggested I try Etsy. That was the first time I'd heard of Etsy, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to try . That was about 2 ½ yrs ago and I have never looked back. I have had nothing but kind and friendly customers that appreciate my work.
 
How would you describe your style?
My style is defiantly not the traditional wedding look. My signs have a rustic weathered appearance , and are perfect for any vintage, woodland wedding.

What is one thing about your creative process that people don't know?
I truly do all the work myself. From cutting the wood to making my own paint. The milk paint that I use is recipe that I perfected about four years ago. The milk paint, along with the process is how I achieve a weathered time worn texture and appearance. By mixing my own paint, I’m always able to match custom colors and create a unique look you will only see in my work. Much like a vintage sign you would find on a back country road.

How does life affect your creative process and your creative process affect your life?
I find inspiration in so many ways throughout my day. I found now, that my life and my art are all one in the same. I use every day activities to inspire my new ideas and feel the possibilities to create are endless

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

"We'll make it I swear"

I am so lucky. I fell in love with an incredible guy. Even better, he has an incredible group of friends from college that I have fallen in love with as well. I love California. It suits me, it makes me so happy, and I am so blessed with my life out here. But, the void that having our college friends across the country leaves in our lives can never quite be filled. Every few years, someone else from the group gets married and the whole gang gets back together. This time, Chris got married in the middle-of-nowhere, PA (aka York - sorry to those of you who live there) and we rented a huge house on the Susquehanna River that was rather suspect in its decor and location (we all secretly wondered if we would be murdered in our sleep at night. And no one wanted the comforters to directly touch the skin). But, put Dave's group of friends together, push some patio furniture together, some responsible wives, some new offspring, and you have beer pong, bonding, and laughter.

We shared the *new* joys, the heartache of those whose marriages are hurting, and the longing of those who are waiting for their hearts desire. Well, the girls did. The boys just played beer pong. It was so interesting to see who these wild boys turned out to be. Doctors, ministers, advertising managers, house flippers, construction site managers, and who knows what Bear does in Arizona. I only wish we could be there for more reunions, more often.

Here are some pictures from a weekend that will fill my heart for a long, long time. A special thanks to Casey (the wife of the best man in our wedding. Whose best man speech is for a whole 'nother blog post!), who came up with the idea for the house. MUCH better than separate hotel rooms.


(view from the front of the house)

(Hannah, Casey, Kate)

(that's the Doctor on the right. Be afraid, very afraid)

(the hubby, Gorman - the minister!?, Nate - the infamous best man)

(this about sums up the weekend)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Treasury Tuesday

    Today's Treasury is inspired by the lovely country wedding of our friends Chris and Sarah Vespi this weekend at Lauxmont Farms, in Pennsylvania. The wedding took place on a cliff overlooking corn fields, horse pastures, and the Susquehanna River. It was a beautiful setting, and I only smelled horse manure once during the cocktail hour! I love attending weddings and seeing the themes people choose, but I have to say that I am super glad that my wedding, and wedding planning, is over. If I could do it again, I would elope. That was just too stressful! But, when I go searching on Etsy for country-themed wedding ideas, I am reminded of the fun parts of wedding planning, and the creativity it can entail!

More on the wedding weekend festivities tomorrow....here's today's Treasury! Check back on Friday for a Featured Seller! HERE is the direct link for treasury, if you want to leave comments or further check out the sellers shops!