Weekly Featured Artist 8/31-9/6

Q: Tell us a little about yourself…
I am a mother of a 28 year old son, have a 7 year old grandson and have been with my partner for 30 years! After working for a long time as a laborer I returned to college and became a correctional officer. I love to sew and quilt ...this has led to my opening my shop on Etsy...I do a lot of custom work and have my crafts in a number of craft shops on consignment. In the future, my dream is to have a shop of my own and craft full time!

Q: How long have you been doing this?
I started quilting when I became a correctional officer 13 years ago and that lead to sewing other items.

Q: Who/What inspires you?
Fabrics inspire me...I see something and right away I know what I want to do with it...I have so many projects lined up that I am sure I will never get done...but I am working on it!

Q: What's your favorite piece?
My favorite would be the blue sampler quilt I made for myself but never finished in time to use...I changed my room decor before I was done hand quilting. There is a picture of it on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23212151@N04/

Q: If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would it be & why?
I am a country and western fan...I would love to meet Reba McEntire....”Is there life out there” was our theme song when I graduated from college!!

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?
No idea ...do not watch tv or movies...lol..no time ...I sew and chat on line to my Etsy friends!

Sewing Granny's Shop

Weekly Featured Artist 8/24-8/30

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Kelly and I’m a craftaholic. Ok, maybe not so much a craftaholic, but I’m most certainly a paper addict. I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom to my gorgeous (and slightly nutty) 2-year-old daughter, Natalie. I also provide part-time childcare for my niece in my home, do a substantial amount of volunteer work for a political action committee, along with running Macaroni and Glue. So, yeah, I’ve got a bit on my plate. I grew up in Indiana, graduated from Indiana University with a degree in theatre & drama, and moved to Seattle immediately thereafter to act professionally for a while. Once I realized, inevitably, that in order to make acting cover my living expenses, I was going to be forced compromise my “artistic standards” a bit, I determined that I’d be happier with a real job. And I’ve pretty much been looking for a creative outlet ever since. My pre-child life included stints as a film/TV production assistant, an event planner, an editor, a model (bizarre experience…), and a variety of other fun-filled joblets before I finally settled into an 8-year career in the medical ethics field. About a year after leaving my corporate job to do the mommy thing, my family relocated to a suburb of Dallas, where housing prices are much more reasonable and there are an astonishing number of things for preschoolers to do.

Q: How long have you been doing this?

Macaroni and Glue was born out of a desire to save money in the card/gift category of our budget. I’ve been selling my designs for about a year now.

Q: Who/What inspires you?

I’m inspired by all things retro and girly. I love imagery that evokes a sense of nostalgia and the innocence of a time gone by. I adore simple, clean designs and love to blend modern design elements with vintage and vintage-inspired graphics.

Q: What's your favorite piece?

My favorite piece is probably my “Call Me” notecard. For whatever reason, I feel like I hit the nail on the head with that one. I love everything about it – the font, the cool retro text box, and that great vintage telephone graphic. And I love the idea of sending a card that says “call me” rather than just picking up the phone myself. Passive aggressive, you say? Nah, not me!

Q: If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would it be & why?

Hmmmmm….. Gosh, there are so many actors I admire, but I’m going to go with Robert Downey Jr. I think he’s possibly the most talented actor of our time, and such a complicated, intelligent guy. I’d love to just meet for coffee and try to figure out what makes him tick.

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?

Harry Potter. Hands down. Luke’s pathetic.

Macaroni & Glue Store

Weekly Featured Artist 8/17-8/23

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I am a self-[taught] bag maker. I like a mix between retro and contemporary style and design, and my favorite fabrics to use are those I bought from Japan and Kauffman's. I am a mother of 2 (4.5 years and 2 years old), my home is in the beautiful Alp's ski resort, Crans-Montana, Switzerland. I approach my life as passionately as I do [my] work. I tried to balance the demands of my passion in bag making and my duty as mom and wife.

Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: I started to make bags about 7 months ago.

Q: Who/What inspires you?
A: I got most of my inspiration from the Japanese Street Fashion. I always [been] in love with the Japanese fabric design, and their street fashion design is just so unique. That's, what I always believe, makes my bags different from the others, most of the time.

Q: What's your favorite piece?
A: my favorite piece is my Fidela Bag. It's very retro style, and so different. I like the way people looking up on my Fidela Bag when I walking around with it.

Q: If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would it be & why?
A: I would like to meet my grandfather from my dad's side. I miss the way he always supported me during my rough times. I really missed cuddling around him like I used to before.

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?
A: Harry Potter, cause everything could be done by magic :)

NovitaJulien's Shop

New in Store!!

Just in time for fall and cute to boot! We have candy corn, caramel apples and back to school. The latest accessory addition to our store is the glue-less korker bow pony-o's. All the cuteness of the originals, but now on a ponytail holder!

Winklepots

Weekly Featured Artist 8/3-8/9

Melanie's Crafts

Q: Tell us a little about yourself…
My name is Melanie. I am a stay at home mother of 2 children, ages 7 and 18m. This summer I have been married for 10 years. My family keeps me very busy. I have loved doing anything artistic since I can remember. I love to paint, draw, scrapbook, and to do many other crafty projects. I just recently painted prints to go with my friend's nursery bedding for a baby shower gift. My favorite items to make are my whimsical creations out of polymer clay.

Q: How long have you been doing this?
I started out making ornaments out of salt dough with my mom as a child. It was either my mom or my sister that suggested that I start using polymer clay. I loved it. I have been making ornaments & magnets for about 15 years now and started making beads a few months ago. I made daisies as favors for my wedding and have given many ornaments for years to all of my friends and family. I just started selling my products a few months ago.

Q: Who/What inspires you?
My family & friends are a big inspiration. Every time there is a new milestone I seem to create something new. I love creating things for weddings, birthdays, showers & holidays.

Q: What's your favorite piece?
I don't seem to have just one. I love them all for different reasons.

Q: If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would it be & why?
That's a tough one. I think I would like to meet my great grandmother on my father's side. She passed away the year I was born. My father grew up in her home and I would love to hear stories about my how my father and grandmother were as children. She was also a pioneer of her time, she received a degree Analytical Chemistry in 1920 from the University of Buffalo. She wanted to be an engineer, but in that day and age, they did not allow women into the engineering program.

Q: If Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter dueled, who would win? Why?
Ok, my husband says definitely Luke Skywalker. I personally don't like the fact that they are dueling, it makes me very uncomfortable. I really like them both. It's too hard to choose a winner, I think it's a tie. BTW, my husband thinks I am pathetic. :-)

Melanie's Crafts Store