Meet SewNook

1. What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

I enjoy sewing the most and have been doing that consistently for about 10 years. I like to challenge myself by finding new ways to apply sewing to varying crafts.

2. How did you get started?

I was influenced by my Mother. She is a quilter and made my clothes for me when I was a child. She taught me how to sew when I was about 16 and I remember attending quilt shows with her.

3. What is your inspiration?

I am inspired by the fabric I see and choose. I am drawn to fabrics and from there; I decide what to make with them.

4. How long have you been on Etsy?

Just over one year.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Just as happy as I am now with life and family and SewNook will have evolved into a profitable business.

6. What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?

Time management is the most challenging, but I have been able to implement a lot of my skills as a Virtual Assistant for managing SewNook.

7. What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?

For me, the most rewarding part of having an online business is seeing how it has evolved and the excitement of the possibilities to come.

8. How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?

I have three jobs. Taking care of our two year old son, SewNook.Etsy.com, and I am a Virtual Assistant for TodaysAdmin.com.

9. When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?

I enjoy every spare moment with my husband and son.

10. Are there any links you’d like to share?

1. Meetup.com for face-to-face networking opportunities.

2. PrimoPdf.com for an affordable way to print the patterns you develop.

3. TodaysAdmin.com for administrative support, which for crafters, can be bookkeeping, website and newsletter updates, and anything else you may need to delegate so you can spend more time with customers and on your crafts.

Meet DivaDiaries

1. My favorite art medium is vintage altered journals. I have been creating my Bettie Page, Audrey Hepburn and Victorian journal lines for the last 9 months.

2. In order to alleviate my everyday stresses from teaching, I began frantically collaging and gluing everything in site to the mass stack of journals I had sitting around in my office.

3. My inspiration for this type of art began once I started rummaging through boxes of ancestory photos and my grandfather's WWI letters. I wanted a way to preserve these memories for the rest of my family. Now, I have shifted my focus to Bettie Page, Audrey Hepburn and French Erotica. I suppose that taps on my alter ego, the sassy, spunky side of Divadiaries.

4. I began my Etsy shop just 3 weeks ago.

5. In 5 years, I anticipate I will have a dual career that combines my day job of teaching and allows time after hours for creating altered journals.

6. Gaining exposure and marketing seem to be the most challenging aspects with an online business.

7. I am so new to online selling that I am unable to determine what are the most rewarding features to this type of business.

8. I am a full time teacher with a part time interest in altered journals. This last summer, however, I created journals like there was no tomorrow. At the end of the day, my fingers were glued together and my hands felt like they had been run over by a semi truck.

9. My favorite recreational sports are snorkeling, running, and yoga. Writing poetry is another interest of mine.

10. I hope to one day set up my own website. For now, I just dream about the possibilites for Divadiaries.net....

Meet Tattie Tats

1. What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

I currently create one of a kind ladies' hair accessories using vintage neckties, beads, and buttons. I have been making these particular items for a couple of months now, but I have always been crafty. When I was a child, I crocheted hair scrunchies and made barrettes and jewelry from these plastic pieces that you would get hot and then mold into shapes. I would also sew clothes for my Barbie dolls by hand and embroider anything I could get my hands on. In addition, I made quite a few things using plastic canvas, paper, and things I found around the house. My most memorable project consisted of making a pair of "headphones" from a styrofoam Hardee's hot dog tray, some twist ties, and a bunch of beans. I would bop around the house pretending to listen to music. Hey, I was eight. You could say the craft bug bit early. I tend to craft in whatever way interests me in the moment. Right now, it's the hair clips.

2. How did you get started?

After my baby started to pull my long, curly hair like crazy, I went to the salon to get it cut. While I had asked for my hair to be shoulder-length, I wound up with a Victoria Beckham-style bob. Now, that might be fine for some women, but it was not what I wanted and I found that I couldn't do much with it. So, being the crafty lady that I am, I decided that I would make my own hair clips to accentuate my style. Given that I did not own a working sewing machine at the time, hand sewing was a necessity. Using my husband's grandfather's ties came a few days after the initial idea, when I could not find suitable fabric in my one local fabric store.

3. What is your inspiration?

When I made my first tattie, my inspiration was the flowers that hula girls often wear in their hair. The flowers are fun and flirty and I wanted a way to bring that feeling into my everyday life. Being a new mom, I definitely needed to rediscover my inner flirt!Now, my inspiration comes from the material itself. I keep my box of ties out at all times and enjoy mixing and matching patterns in unique ways. I hope to soon have some more of these mixed-up creations listed in my shop. Sometimes, I will pull out a button that I want to use and find fabric that suits it just fine. Other times, I will start with the tie and build from there. Quite often, the piece turns out very different from how I imagined it, but that's part of the fun for me.

4. How long have you been on Etsy?

I joined Etsy in July 2009 with the goal of opening my shop, TattieTats, by July 15, 2009. I am happy to say that I met that goal a day early.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

You know, I'm really not sure. I try to take things a day at a time, because only God knows what tomorrow will bring. However, I would like to still be a work-at-home mom. My son will be 13 and my daughter will be almost 5 at that point. Perhaps I will be in school finishing up my bachelor's, perhaps not. I would like to have expanded my product line to include home goods, or have opened another successful Etsy shop consisting of linens and things. I have lots of ideas in this regard. I would also like to be a regular on the local craft show and festival circuit.

6. What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?

Getting the word out and converting visitors to buyers has been the most time consuming aspect of setting up shop. Also, having confidence that people will like my product.

7. What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?

My first sale was the most exciting moment so far. Also, though, having the hope that I can help my husband support our family while still staying at home.

8. How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?

First and foremost, I am a mom to two wonderful children. I also volunteer quite a bit of time as a Boy Scout leader. Admittedly, my business has taken a lot of my time this past month, but finding a good balance is always the key.

9. When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?

I spend time with my husband and kids. I also spend a lot of time with Cub Scouts and other Boy Scout leaders. I am the Camp and Outdoor Promotion Chair for my local Boy Scouts of America district. This fits well with my family because we do a lot of outdoor activities anyway. I started a vegetable garden this year, which my husband has thankfully taken over, since I have the black thumb of death. Let's see... I also like reading novels and taking long walks on the beach, LOL.

10. Are there any links you’d like to share?

You can find my one of a kind hair accessories at http://www.tattietats.etsy.com/.

Follow me at www.twitter.com/tattietats

Become a Facebook fan of TattieTats at http://www.facebook.com/pages/TattieTats/98201033620?ref=ts#/pages/TattieTats/98201033620?ref=ts

11. Where do I see my shop in one year?

I want to meet many new friends and have lots of return customers. I hope to have increased my exposure to the point at which I have to visit the post office every day, but even two or three times a week would be super. I also want to have enough profit to be able to invest in the supplies needed to attend a local craft show or two in Fall 2010

Coming Soon

I've been moving in some new directions, I've mentioned that several times. So what does that mean? Well here's some things to look out for:

I'm moving in a new direction with my photography. I'll still take some photos of flowers and such, but I will also be adding new subject matter soon.

I'll be posting artisan interviews on my blog. One per week, but I'm thinking of doing several the first week to kick start it.

Giveaways. Yep, I will be hosting giveaways. Both for my products, and for others.

Challenges, and tutorials. We all want to be the best, and do our best... let's support one another to get there! If you'd like to be featured in an interview, a giveaway, a challenge, or a tutorial, please contact me!

By the way, the photo I featured today is one I listed last night that sold quickly. Any of the photos in my shop can be made black and white (as I did with this one), so if you have a request, please let me know.

Always Moving Forward

I now have a facebook business page! If you have facebook, please click on the "become a fan" link... why? Because I'll be posting each and every new Etsy listing on there, and having special sales for my fans periodically! Maybe a giveaway here and there as well! It can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Tualatin-OR/Robyns-Art/41056597613

I will be featuring etsy artisans in interviews again soon. I used to run this every Wednesday, but we'll see where it falls now. If you'd like to be interviewed, please email me, or leave me a comment!

I feel a new direction coming on in my photography and in my shop. I hope to add some new stuff very soon. Of course, I'll keep you aprised of it (though you'll know quicker if you fan me ;-P).

I'm still putting one foot in front of the other... taking life one day at a time, one breath at a time.

Meet Amy from Avlor's Imprints!!

What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

Do I have to pick just one? It's a tough choice between photography, designing stationery and graphics and fiber arts.

How did you get started?

Photography - I wanted to take portraits of my kiddos. Started 2 and a half years ago and have been improving my photography since. My local camera club and strobist.com have been excellent help, inspiring me to push myself in photography. two things I've done to improve as quickly as possible in photography - get a grasp on the basics and look at work (and how tos) from the best photographers.

Designing Stationery - just started in January. I've always liked printing my own cards and tinkering with design. This seemed like a good mix and I've been really enjoying it.

Fiber Arts - That started back when my grandmother taught me to crochet as a child. In college the local yarn shop had a class on knitting and I was hooked. Then when my husband and I moved across the state, I found the spinning and weaving guild here. Wonderful folks! Who helped start the spinning yarn addiction.

What is your inspiration?

Culture (popular culture, international culture, and style) seems to be the biggest inspiration right now. I keep a notebook with me at all times, because I always get ideas when I can't work on them! I often doodle in it when I'm waiting for my oldest to get out of school.

How long have you been on Etsy?

A few crafty friends goaded me into starting my shop in December 2007. I tinkered here and there for a year and decided in January that I wanted to do better and have been doing my best to put out a few designs a week.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I would love to still be crafting and at home! My hope is to bring more recognition to printable stationery . I also want to encourage shopping for handmade locally. I hope to help local online shop owners with marketing and getting into galleries and shops.

What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?

Balancing my time! We only have 24hrs in a day, and there are so many things we can do! Have to pick the best and go from there.What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?Being able to express myself artistically! There's not much of that in laundry and dishes. ;)

How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?

I'm a stay at home mom, so I have to carve out time for it. I have my kids help more with the house now and I think it's a good experience for them. But they can't be expected to do everything!

When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?

Being with my family and friends, playing the wii and games of all sorts, helping at camera club and church.

Are there any links you’d like to share?

http://avlor.etsy.com/ - my shop

http://avlorsimprints.blogspot.com/ - the shop blog

http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ - one of the absolute best photography sites around!

Meet ablemabel

What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

I do a little bit of everything. Paper crafts, sewing, jewelry. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember.

How did you get started?

I played along side my mother as she worked in her studio at home. She has dabbled in a few different areas of art over the years.

What is your inspiration?

I find inspiration all over the place. Most of the time, it's finding a neat piece of fabric or fun piece of paper.

How long have you been on Etsy?

Since December 2007

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Still at home with my family, hopefully still "playing" around with my supplies!

What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?

Getting my name out there, getting noticed.

What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?

The sheer numbers of potential customers!

How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?

I love doing business online. It's so easy to fit it in whenever I have time. I don't need to worry about keeping the kids quiet or if the dog is barking when I communicate with my customers. This is my only job, if you don't count being a stay a home mom as a job.

When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?

My family loves the outdoors! Camping, hiking, fishing, etc. On rainy days you'll find us gathered around a board game, reading books or horsing around.

Are there any links you’d like to share?

My blog: http://mabelisable.blogspot.com/

My Etsy store: www.ablemabel.etsy.com/

Meet Brigitta!

What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

My craft of choice in terms of selling is jewelry (and rosary) design and creation. I’ve been at it for somewhere around two years. At the same time, I love to knit and have been doing that for over 20 years, although I’ve forgotten all but the basics it seems so I’m pretty much a permanent beginner when it comes to knitting. When it comes to my jewelry and rosaries I feel like I learn something new each and every day and hope for it always to be that way.

How did you get started?

I was stuck at my parents’ house (a definite downer when you’re facing your 30th birthday), recovering from what should have been “minor” surgery and suffering from the culture shock of having just uprooted myself from two years of living and working in Prague to an emergency move home for health insurance and the aforementioned surgery. Going stir crazy I needed something to occupy my mind, my creativity and my hands. I thought of making jewelry because my sister and an old friend both made jewelry and I knew I could call them for help and advice. And an obsession was born!

What is your inspiration?
At the risk of sounding like a total cheeseball…colors, pictures of pieces that pop into my head, the smile that I love to see on the face of an in-person customer who chooses one of my pieces, seeing a piece I like but don’t quite love and trying to create it in a form that makes me love it, the desire to create a special gift for someone I love that then spins into a new idea or a new line (which is actually why I started handcrafting rosaries)…

How long have you been on Etsy?
It feels like much longer than Etsy tells me but, apparently, since November 2007. Although I didn’t open my shop then—that was when I became a user because I fell in love with some pieces from Montezuma Mudd (http://www.montezumamudd.etsy.com/) and absolutely had to buy them as Christmas gifts. LOL, I ended up keeping one of the two pieces I bought!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
To be honest, I don’t. Despite being an obsessive planner and list maker, I’ve learned that my life rarely takes the direction that I expected and, as a result, planning more than six months to a year out can lead to disappointments, forgotten dreams, etc. So, instead I have general goals without time limits. I would love to live in Austria, either Vienna or Graz, to be fluent in both Czech and German, to be making a living from crafting, to be visited often by my nephews and parents and to be with my current boyfriend in whatever capacity life takes us to.

What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?
For me I’d have to say the marketing and dealing with the long dry periods without sales. I’ve had sales off of Etsy through craft fairs, co-workers and friends but never felt like my business has really taken off and this is something I am determined to work towards yet often feel stymied by my struggles with marketing and balancing my time. (And, lately, with a lack of cash flow to buy the new materials that I crave.)

What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?
Hmmm…many thoughts are popping into my head. I love the interaction with other sellers, something that I have only recently discovered/tapped into. I feel like I would lack this if I had a bricks-and-mortar shop—or at least it would be harder to establish. Also, in many ways I like the anonymity of it. While I love chatting with potential customers at the few craft shows I’ve done, I hate “selling.” It’s easy for me to talk about my work but not so easy for me to push/encourage someone to purchase it. Ha ha, this obviously ties in to my marketing issues!

How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?
With both great difficulty and great joy. I work full-time as the senior communications associate (read: editor, writer, project manager, thinker, nag) for a nonprofit philanthropic collaborative and my work often follows me home in the evenings and over the weekends. While I enjoy my “day job” it comes with the frustrations that all office jobs come with and well, it isn’t crafting. So, I find that my BrigaBauble shop on Etsy is both a creative outlet and a calming factor in my life. I can flip on the TV, wash my mind of writer’s block or frustration with a co-worker who ignores deadlines and wrap myself in colors and shapes and textures and testing ideas.

When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?
Aside from working my day job…Both my boyfriend and I love to watch movies and are Netflix addicts so, we watch a lot of movies; I read—alternating between works of literature and spy/thriller/legal novels I think of as “brain candy”; spend time with my fabulous and adorable nephews, ages 4 and 10, and with my parents; when I have the time and the money I adore traveling; I watch some telly…wow, my life sounds so exciting, doesn’t it? I also do a variety of crafts for fun so, when I’m not working on my jewelry it’s not unusual for me to be crafting in some other way.

Are there any links you’d like to share?
Sure, thanks for asking! There are the obvious (and selfish) links…
My Etsy shop: http://www.brigabauble.etsy.com/
Blog: http://brigabauble.blogspot.com/
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BrigaBauble
Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brigabauble/

And then there are the links to a few of my favorite Etsy sellers:
http://www.spoonfullofchocolate.etsy.com/
http://www.montezumamudd.etsy.com/
http://www.maxinedear.etsy.com/
http://www.kittykatkards.etsy.com/
http://www.imotime.etsy.com/
http://www.soapdeli.etsy.com/

Meet Gina!

What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

I am a web and graphic designer. I am also an avid painter but my passion lies in drawing children's art. I love to invent stories and I love the process... of having my story come to live in pictures. I have been sketching and drawing since I can walk. (lol)

How did you get started?

I don't remember exactly...I started drawing on my parents furniture and walls. My Mom told me later that I had made a mural on her living room wall with crayons, watercolor and pencil. She was torn between spanking me and keeping it, since according to her it was fun to look at. Then, I drew portraits of members of my favorite rock bands when I was 12. I loved charcoal drawing back then. I never thought of it as a career or a means to make a living until sometime in my 20's. When I moved from Germany to Los Angeles in 1990, I studied Art and Graphic Design. And that's how my creative journey started. After that, I worked as a web and graphic designer. In 2004 I founded my own greeting card company of whimsical hand embellished note cards. Things became hectic shortly after that. Although it was rewarding, to see it grow, when I became a Mom I needed to get back to basics and sold my card line. Two years later, I started "Indigorain" (my children's line of art prints).

What is your inspiration?

So many things inspire me. My daughter opens my eyes every day.. Her endless imagination and spirit is so magical to me. And the natural world I am living in. A trip to the zoo can produce a new idea. So does a flicker of a moment, a dusty memory or the texture and taste of a foreign place.

How long have you been on Etsy?

My Etsy shop is new. I just launched it in January. I guess I am a fledgeling.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I hope to be able to make a living with my Etsy shop, creating children's art. I am planning on adding canvas art, and beautiful handmade baby books/journals. On a very humble note I would love my shop to be a playground for children of all ages and see my customers returning frequently.

What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?

Hands down the marketing/promotional aspect of it is daunting. It’s easy to get sidetracked and as much as I enjoy the internet for research purposes I can’t get myself to twitter all day. I enjoy the creative process but I don't enjoy selling myself. It seems nearly impossible to find the time for both - creating and marketing. I know people who manage both easily. I am not one of them.

What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?

Receiving thank you emails from customers, telling me how much they (or their children) enjoy my prints and how special they are to them. I had a customer from France who wrote me the sweetest letter saying how much my print meant to her and we ended up discussing the story attached to it. It was my “Where do wishes go? piece and we had a real dialogue about it. She said the sparkle added an amazing touch and we are still emailing each other back and forth. That to me is special.

How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?

In a nutshell, I am Mommy. A the moment I work as a part time freelance designer as well. I am also a wife, daughter, sister and friend. SO i have a lot of responsibilities. Every spare moment that I find, I invest in my creative work. My daughter loves anything artsy, sometimes she even critiques my work . She is 3 ! (lol)

When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?

I love to spend time with my family. We play a lot of tennis. My daughter is a real champion already! My husband hopes to see her at Wimbledon. She is 3! (lol) I also write children stories, poetry and love to cook. I'm passionate about yoga and when I still find a free moment. I let myself dream.

Links I like to share.

http://www.indigorain.etsy.com/

Interview with Ruthie from Roseworksjewelry

What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

Do I really have to pick just one? LOL Jewelry is my main focus/business and I've been doing it for around 10 years now. I've recently picked up cross-stitch again, but I can't even begin to figure out how long I've been doing that! I was pretty young when I first started... And other than that, I love to learn any crafts I can!

How did you get started?

A former Bible study leader got me started doing basic "link" wire-work when I "graduated" from her group :) I've picked up the rest of the techniques I use in various random places over the years.

What is your inspiration?

I find inspiration just about everywhere I look! Seriously, I've had the most random things inspire me, like someone's sandals... I love to look at other people's work, web-sites, magazines, and usually best of all, my own bead stash! Since I do so many different types of crafts (even within just the jewelry realm) I tend to never run out of ideas.

How long have you been on Etsy?

Since May of 2008.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Rich and famous? LOL Seriously though, I have a lot of health problems that we're working through with the doctors, I'd like to see myself healthier and more functional in five years. Going alone with that, I'd like to regularly be involved in selling my work at craft fairs, bazaars, and markets. I'd love it if my jewelry and other crafts could help support me and my husband :)
What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?
Hands own, the hardest part is getting your name out there. There are many cost effective (or free) ways of doing this, but it takes discipline! Especially in the jewlery market which is highly saturated.

What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?

I love hearing that people love my work! It's very affirming :) And it amazes me to realize that people all over America, and even a few in Europe, are wearing my jewelry! It's not an overly large number yet, but it's growing steadily!

How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?

At this point in my life my business is my job. It doesn't really support me and my husband, but I have too many health challenges right now to maintain a regular job.

When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?

I stop crafting? Ok, so I do from time to time. I actually spend a lot of time reading blogs, advertising my business, talking to lots and lots of people, writing, and I love to read fantasy and scifi!

Are there any links you'd like to share?

Plenty of them! I have two shops, the second one I share with my Mom :)www.roseworksjewelry.etsy.comwww.kstreasures.etsy.com

And three blogs :P

www.roseworksjewelry.blogspot.com

www.roseworkstreasury.blogspot.com

www.ajedismusings.blogspot.com

I also have the honor of doing a radio show every Thursday at 9pm EST where I interview artisans live on the air!

Come join us at:www.blockheadradiolive.com

And if you want to follow me on Twitter you can find me at:www.twitter.com/rosewksjewelry.

Thanks again Robyn!