Etsy Interview & Special Deal with Funktapus Designs

(Psst... don't forget to enter the great giveaway from feltgirl!)

A vintage feel + astrology + funky bright color = I heart Funktapus Designs!
Let's here from the creative future-astrophysicist herself, Becca.

Etsy Shop: Funktapus Designs
Blog: Funktapus

Tell us a bit about yourself, Becca.
I'm studying to be an astrophysicist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and I'm an ultra-nerd! I love music, books, crafts and everything vintage, but science is my real passion!

What 5 words would you use to describe yourself?
Intelligent, resourceful, geeky, giggly, and ambitious. :)

Tell us a bit about your Etsy shop.
I opened shop in September of last year (just for fun, really!), but before I knew it I'd made tens of sales and my starfinders were getting some real recognition! I had to really streamline things, as I had previously been selling whatever I felt like making, and I tended to switch media from day to day. My current goal is to introduce a southern hemisphere version of my starfinders, some fun and nerdy greeting cards, and eventually some recycled paper goods so that I don't have to waste all of my scraps!

What 5 words would you use to describe your shop?
Nerdy, colorful, friendly, lively, fun.

Give your 5 favorite websites.
A Print A Day
Save the Words
xkcd: Joshing
miniature rhino
Design Sponge

Give your 5 favorite Etsy shops.
seapod
miniature rhino
HARE and DRUM's House of Color
Floridity
Pinkkiss Pottery

What advice would you give other Etsy sellers?
Like what you sell, and have fun making it!

Anything else you would like us to know?
I like you. :)

SPECIAL DEAL

Get 50% off of your starfinder purchase if you mention Etsy Interviews!

(Thanks, Becca!)

Etsy Interview & Giveaway with feltgirl

(Psst... don't forget to enter the ad space giveaway from Etsy Interviews!)

I am in LOVE with bright, bold color! And one of my favorite craft supplies to work with as of late is FELT. So I am IN LOVE with fun Etsy shop, feltgirl! Let's learn more...

Etsy Shop: feltgirl
Other Etsy Shop: V for Violet
Blog: V for Violet

Tell us a bit about yourself, feltgirl.
I work from home in my little sewing studio and love every aspect of my job. I love sewing, knitting and have just learned to crochet which it becoming a little bit of an obsession. I am also obsessed by buttons, and fabric and have quite a collection of both!

I am a big fan of the handmade ethic that is big at the moment. It's great that sewing and knitting is having a resurgence of popularity. I love handmade stuff and appreciate the time and effort that has gone into producing it.
I have 4 children who are all now at school during the day which gives me time to sew.

I drink lots of tea and eat far too many biscuits.

What 5 words would you use to describe yourself?
patient
creative
ambitious
optimistic
enthusiastic

Tell us a bit about your Etsy shop.
I set up Feltgirl in 2009 when I had become exasperated in wanting lovely felt and buttons for my sewing and I couldn't find any. I had the dream of creating a little shop where you could find gorgeous coloured felt, beautiful different buttons - polka dots and stripes and delicious bright ribbons all in the same place. I have now expanded to include other stuff such as ric rac and pom pom trims. I put everything in the shop that I would love to find there.

My aim for the shop is continue to be successful and expand the range even more, I am always on the look out for gorgeous supplies.

What 5 words would you use to describe your shop?
colourful
exciting
inspiring
happy
fun

(Can be found here at feltgirl's sister shop, V for Violet!)

Give your 5 favorite websites.
Attic24
Anna Maria
Lil Sonny Sky
loobylu
Cupcakes and Biscuits

Give your 5 favorite Etsy shops.
syko
Moaning Minnie
Gaia Conceptions
Lisa Stubbs
summersville

What advice would you give other Etsy sellers?
I would say give it a go - promote yourself, get out there and let people know you are there. Having a blog is also a good idea, it's nice to get a bit of background on the seller, see how they create, makes it more personal.

GIVEAWAY!
feltgirl is so kind to offer...
**Full 71 Colour Pack of Mini Felt Squares**
Thanks so much, feltgirl!

Here's how to enter:
Visit feltgirl or V for Violet and leave a comment on this post mentioning your favorite item.

For more chances to win, leave a separate post for each of the following:
*Become a Follower of V for Violet.
*Become a Follower of EtsyInterviews.
*Subscribe to EtsyInterviews via RSS.
*Tweet about this giveaway (please leave link to tweet).
*Follow B.Inspired Mama on Twitter.
*Become a fan of B.Inspired Vintage on Facebook.
*Share the giveaway on Facebook.
*Blog about the giveaway (please leave the link)
*Add EtsyInterviews to your blogroll.
*Submit to be Featured on EtsyInterviews, too!

The winner will be chosen via Random.org on Tuesday, March 2nd at 9PM EST. The winner will be emailed within 24 hours. Please make sure your email is in your profile or in the comment. GOOD LUCK!

Etsy Interview & Giveaway with The Daily Pincushion

(Psst... don't forget to enter the giveaway from Yalipaz, too!)

Since I've been sewing more lately, pincushions have become a little obsession of mine. There's just something about how you can use a beautiful little work of art for such a utilitarian purpose! I have been eyeing up the gorgeous felt ones at The Daily Pincushion for a while now. Let's learn more...

Etsy Shop: The Daily Pincushion
Other Etsy Shop: The Daily Vintage

Tell us a bit about yourself, Cathy.
I live in Florida now - my sister Jamie and I share a house in Lake Worth.
We are from New York. My dad's family came over from Germany in the 1860's before the Civil War. They settled on Manhattan Island. They once had a farm on the upper west side. My Mom is first generation Italian. The Greatest Generation. I grew up on Long Island. I was a Chef for 25 years. Now I’m an artist with a full time job at home on Etsy. I love what I do now, although I still work long hours. I have always been creative and am so happy to be able to do it for a living.



What 5 words would you use to describe yourself?
Creative
Insular
Pragmatic
Irreverent
Reliable




Tell us a bit about your Etsy shop.
My Etsy shop The Daily Pincushion came about after my last stint as an executive chef in a Boca country club. Enough was enough! I needed to earn a living and I was determined not to cook outside the house again. I thought I would open some kind of baking business – cookies or cupcakes. During an Internet hunt for inspiration I saw a cupcake that was made of felt. It was a pincushion. That person sold them on a site called Etsy. I knew I could do that and I wanted to do that. I looked at many things I could make but I kept coming back to pincushions. I have always sewn, and they just clicked with me. I combined a style I had been doing with felt doll clothes and a simple shape of pincushion and I made my first one. When I got good at it (after about a hundred) I opened the Etsy shop The Daily Pincushion (because it took the entire day to make one)! Now I have some custom dies that help me do things quicker and more consistently, but a lot is still cut by hand. Everything is hand sewn and embroidered. My sister has quite a few popular designs too and she does the taxes bless her and most of the post office trips. She also has a 9- 5 job. Working with her helps me break out of my parameters. Whenever I start a big project or when I would write a new menu I built in the dogma. Rules to live by - limits with color or material and I work within that. It makes it easier for me at first to get comfortable and to stretch the limits of what I can do within those limits. Then I break them when I'm comfortable. And set new ones!

What 5 words would you use to describe your shop?
Colorful
Unique
Happy
Helpful
Tactile



Give your 5 favorite websites.
Nest Decorating: A Journal
Posie Gets Cozy
Cute Overload
Very Short List
wfuv.org radio


Give your 5 favorite Etsy shops.
Bossys Feltworks
Mincing Mockingbird
Two Kazoos
Gretchen Kramp
Linda Solovic
I wish I could name ten!



What advice would you give other Etsy sellers?
Be prepared to work hard, be consistent, limit you time on the computer and make things. Be nice.



Anything else you would like to share?
I love what I do. I love when people are happy with their pincushions. I wish I knew more about technology to have a website with a shopping cart. Then I would sell kits. Maybe after we move.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheDailyPincushion

GIVEAWAY!
Cathy is so kind to offer...
**Pincushion & Emery Set of Choice**
Thanks so much, Cathy!

Here's how to enter:

Visit The Daily Pincushion and leave a comment on this post
mentioning your favorite item.

For more chances to win, leave a separate post for each of the following:

*Become a Follower of EtsyInterviews.
*Subscribe to EtsyInterviews via RSS.
*Tweet about this giveaway (please leave link to tweet).
*Follow B.Inspired Mama on Twitter.
*Become a fan of B.Inspired Vintage on Facebook.
*Share the giveaway on Facebook.
*Blog about the giveaway (please leave the link)
*Add EtsyInterviews to your blogroll.
*Submit to be Featured on EtsyInterviews, too!

The winner will be chosen via Random.org on Wednesday, February 17th at 9PM EST. The winner will be emailed within 24 hours. Please make sure your email is in your profile or in the comment. GOOD LUCK!

Welcome to EtsyInterviews with B.Inspired Vintage & B.Inspired Supply

Welcome to EtsyInterviews! I'm so excited to bring you interviews with the MANY talented and friendly Etsy sellers that I have met while running my own Etsy shops, B.Inspired Vintage and B.Inspired Supply. I have some really GREAT interviews lined up with tons of GIVEAWAYS, too! If you want to be featured, it's SO easy; just fill out this form and I will let you know if and when you are selected. Anyway, I'll just jump right in and get started by "interviewing" (and introducing) myself first...

Etsy Shops: B.Inspired Vintage & B.Inspired Supply

Blogs: B.Inspired Mama & EtsyInterviews

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, I'm Krissy! I am a former art teacher turned full-time mama to two beautiful (and energetic) little ones under 3! I gave up a high school art teaching position to be a stay at home mom when we had to relocate from northern to southern Pennsylvania for my husband's work a few years back. It was the first time I'd left "home" and everyone thought I was CRAZY for leaving my teaching position, but it has proven to be a fun and worthwhile adventure. Etsy and the blogging community have made that transition even more fun!


Give 5 words to describe yourself.
Caring
Compassionate
Creative
Responsible
CRAZY!


Tell us a bit about your shop(s).
I love staying home with my kiddos, but I do find it hard to fit in much creative mama time. So I've been blessed to discover thrifting, which my little ones can do with me, as my new passion! I am completely addicted to the thrill of the hunt and always amazed at how a little cleanup and clever photography can transform something tossed aside into a treasure. I especially love anything colorful and fun. I share my fun & funky vintage finds in B.Inspired Vintage and B.Inspired Supply. My etsy shops and my blogs, B.Inspired Mama & now EtsyInterviews, give me the creative boost I need between all of the diaper-changes, children's books, playdates, and snuggle time!


Give 5 words to describe your shop(s).
Colorful
Funky
Fun
Clean
Affordable


Give your 5 favorite websites.
Etsy of course, but that doesn't count!
Heartomatic
Etsy Treasure Hunt
Etsy Fee Calculator
One Pretty Thing
Swap-Bot


Give your 5 favorite Etsy shops (aside from your own).
So hard to narrow it down...
Shop66
Missy Magoo
Tortoise Loves Donkey
Reclaim2Fame
Lemon Blooms


What advice would you give other Etsy sellers?
I'm still learning as I go, but my advice would be to have great customer service, fast shipping, and don't be afraid to ask questions and learn from others. I visit other Etsy sellers that I admire and that are successful and soak up as much from them as possible. Oh, and spread the love via hearts! I'm a HUGE heart-er. I truly love something about each item or seller that I heart. I believe lots of people find me through the heart-trail that I leave behind.


Anything else you would like to share?
I'm excited to have just listed new vintage-inspired handmade creations in B.Inspired Vintage! And can't wait to make time to create some more.

GIVEAWAY!
**ONE ITEM OF CHOICE from B.Inspired Vintage or B.Inspired Supply**

Here's how to enter:
Visit B.Inspired Vintage and B.Inspired Supply and leave a comment on this post mentioning your favorite item.

For more chances to win, leave a separate post for each of the following:
*Become a Follower of EtsyInterviews.
*Subscribe to via RSS.
*Tweet about this giveaway (please leave link to tweet).
*Follow B.Inspired Mama on Twitter.
*Become a fan of B.Inspired Vintage on Facebook.
*Share the giveaway on Facebook.
*Blog about the giveaway (please leave the link)
*Add EtsyInterviews to your blogroll.
*Submit to be Featured on EtsyInterviews, too!

The winner will be chosen via Random.org on Sunday, February 7th at 9PM EST. The winner will be emailed within 24 hours. Please make sure your email is in your profile or in the comment. GOOD LUCK!