Featured Etsy Artisan: CaitlinSainio

I found Caitlin Sainio's fab shop after she kindly included one of my pieces in her treasury. Caitlin "draws pictures with thread" and makes amazing things like bracelets and hoop framed fiber art. I'm totally coveting this white crochet daisy bracelet and this rose bush wall hanging.

Enjoy meeting Caitlin below, and be sure to check out her shop for some eye candy loveliness.

• Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.
My name is Caitlin, and I live west of Boston, Massachusetts. I'm a stay-at-home mom to two boys, aged 2 and 5.

• Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.
I initially started my Etsy shop as an excuse to crochet Christmas ornaments. I love to crochet snowflakes and other ornaments, but our Christmas tree was running out of room for them, as were the trees of our friends and family. I opened the shop in January, 2009, with a small selection of bracelets, suncatchers, and doilies, and then added Christmas ornaments as the holidays approached. I've recently expanded into using crochet for other kinds of art: I stitch crocheted elements to fabric to create wall hangings, and use them to create paint imprints on notecards. I've really been enjoying the new focus (it gives me opportunities to use more different colors, and to crochet designs that are too complicated and unpredictable to easily work into a doily or a bracelet), so I'd like to continue in that direction for my non-holiday offerings.

• How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story.
I first learned to crochet in elementary school, when the school had a craft fair as a fundraiser, and somebody taught me to crochet shell stitch strips so that I could help make an afghan. I taught myself more stitches with the help of an old "learn to crochet" book that my mom had hanging around, and later discovered tiny hooks and thread, which I love even better than yarn.

My favorite items change with my mood and the seasons. Right now, I'm completely in love with trees like the ones on this wall hanging and in these cards. I live in a neighborhood filled with huge, leafy trees, every one of which could pass for a tree of life. I was curious to see if I could achieve that strength and lushness in thread, and I'm thoroughly delighted with the results.

• What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
First of all, know what your goal is. Do you want your business to be your sole support? Do you want it to provide supplemental income? Or do you simply want to make your hobby pay for itself? How you approach the business depends a lot on the answer to that question. (Those goals can change over time. I started out just wanting my crocheting to be self-supporting, and now that it does that with room to spare, I'm hoping to expand it so that it provides more supplemental income.)

After that (especially if your goal is for your business to be a significant income source), I think it's useful to do a quick back-of-the envelope calculation: how many of your products can you make in a week, how will you price them, and how much will they cost you to make? Will the resulting profit be enough to meet the goal you've chosen? (If not, it'll be necessary to make changes to your products, your pricing, or your goals. I think it's good to know that earlier, rather than later - it's incredibly discouraging to pour all of your time and energy into a business, only to realize later that it's not structured to provide the income that it needs to.)

• Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!
I've found that most people are inspiring, one way or another. I've been blessed to know and work with a lot of incredible people, over the years, and the ones I most try to emulate are those who know when to stop talking and listen, who can see other people's points of view, and who can tell when to keep trying and when to stop and ask for help. These aren't things that come naturally to me, so it's always amazing to me when I see people who seem so effortless in their grace and good judgment.

• Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
I'm not a big movie watcher, but almost any book with pictures will put me in a creative mood - anything from a science textbook to a National Geographic magazine to some of the beautifully illustrated children's books that my kindergartener brings home from the library. I'll see mixes of colors or shapes or textures, and want to go make something or draw something.

• What is your favorite handmade treasure?
I come from a family that can't seem to stop making things, so my house is so well populated with handmade treasures that it's hard to pick a favorite. If I had to choose, though, my favorite would be a collection of decorative pots that my uncle made. I have probably a dozen or so, in various sizes, shapes, and colors, and I never get tired of looking at them. They're all currently squirrelled away on high shelves and in cabinets, to protect them from being loved too much by my kids, so that increases the "treasure" aspect: I love them, but almost never see most of them.

Thanks, Caitlin! You can check out the rest of the Featured Artisans here.

Introducing... FASCINATORS!

When I was in middle school, I had a thriving bow making business. I just love hair accessories. Now for an adult version...

Fascinators are all the rage in Europe - especially England. I've launched a new product line in Paper and Pearls - fascinators made of clips, feathers, flowers, and pearls. Simply lovely and elegant. Mine are very simple and ladylike - ideal for a wedding, special evening, church, or a date night. Or frankly for everyday - add a little something extra to a boring bun or french twist. It's all in the details, darling.

Visit Paper and Pearls to check it out!

Featured Etsy Artisan: RabbitHollowPrims

I'm delighted to introduce you to Susan of Rabbit Hollow Prims. I found her shop on Etsy - and she is another fabulous local artist here in North Carolina. Susan creates "primitive dolls and such." Her work is charming and whimsical - I definitely want this Primitive Flora Flower Dollie, or how about this Primitive Sylvia Garden Cat?

Enjoy meeting Susan in her interview below. Be sure to check out her Etsy shop, her awesome blog with lots of helpful tips, and her website! Thanks for participating, Sue!

• Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.
My name is Susan O'Connor and I live in Hope Mills, NC. My regular full time job is a 6th grade Math teacher and then at night I become a mom of a 7 and 5 year old as well as a wife and then a doll maker. Life is hectic around my home.


• Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.
I have had an Etsy shoppe since 2006 but just recently over the past year started getting known and selling from it. I sell mostly primitive dolls of all varieties and seasons, as well as, vintage supplies, handmade turkey calls and not forgotten patterns. You can find my items here: http://www.rabbithollowprims.etsy.com. I love making dolls as I love to see the characters come to life and take on their own forms. Halloween is by far my favorite dolls to make.


• How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story.
I got into creating young. I was very sickly from about age 11 on with UC or ulcerative colitis so I was constantly having attacks in my teens to the point of having to stay home for months to heal. During that time, my mom was doing craft shows big time and she made dolls. Mostly artist type dolls, not primitives and so being bored I would help her make them for money as she would pay me to help her. I would say my favorite item is my own design Cabbage Mama and babies. She was the first pattern I ever made. A customer had requested a flower doll be made for her and so while making the flower doll which turned out to be Rosalia another of my patterns, Cabbage mama and babies came to be...The lady liked them both so much she bought both.

• What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
Start small. I started on Ebay and Etsy before Ebay was crazy with all the rules. I got myself known and built a following, then I made my website and then from there even though it costs a lot I advertised mostly through free places then eventually when I could afford it paid places. Stay diligent and persistent even in slow times. It took over a year to start working for me....

• Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!
I would say other artists inspire me as well as my mom. She helps me to this day with the dolls and without her I would be way far behind LOL. She has been making dolls for over 30 years now. I am always amazed at how well sewn and the detail work she provides with the dolls. She is a perfectionist. If you sew something and she thinks it shouldn't look that way she will tell you about it and make you feel guilty enough to redo it over until it is right LOL.

• Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
I would say the new Alice in Wonderland movie has sparked a lot of creativity from me. I am going to be in a gallery opening and the theme is Alice so I had to come up with 3 pieces. I made Alice, the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit for the event.

• What is your favorite handmade treasure?
I would say I couldn't pick just one. I have many handmades from doll swaps I have been in and each one is unique and I love them all. But Halloween tops my list of favorites all the time.

• Do you have any suggestions for creatively weathering these tough economic times? How are you creatively making the best of it?
I honestly have been fortunate enough to be selling most of my handmades and actually be backordered on items. It has slowed down for me some now that Easter is over, but my advice is to never stop creating and doing what you feel. Make items you would love to have yourself. Don't make things on a whim and my thoughts are if it doesn't sell, I have a pretty handmade for myself or I have built up my stock which has been hard to do. I have alot of tips and pointers on selling on my blog to check out here:
http://www.rabbithollowprims.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Sue! Be sure to visit her shop!

I Heart Fall

I love Fall. It's my FAVORITE season. The weather and gorgeous trees have inspired my composition of some golden, red, and brown jewelry over at Paper and Pearls on Etsy. Above are some eye candy shots for your enjoyment...

For some fantastic Fall Inspiration, check the issues of Real Simple and Martha Stewart this month. Really fanstastic and gorgeous spreads - lots of ideas to be had. For example, check out Real Simple's ideas for leftover turkey here.

Now go make some cider, hike through the forest, press some maple leaves, and savor this season!

Next up... bead shows... and lots of NEW goodies for the coming holiday season! Keep checking back for more news...

First Feature on Craft Gawker!

I recently learned about Craft Gawker on some Etsy forums... So I gave it a whirl!!

My mini camellia journal is featured today! Check it out!

Featured Etsy Artisan: FreshlyPressed

I am so excited about this next Featured Etsy Interview! Susan of the letterpress boutique Freshly Pressed is an incredibly gifted friend and an inspiration to me. She is that rare mix of organized and extremely creative. She launched her own shop on etsy awhile ago, so I asked her to share some of her insights from being in business for about a year now. If you're a paper and stationary fan - this boutique is for you.

Enjoy meeting Susan and be sure to visit her lovely shop!

I own a set of the mixed berry notecards (well - they're almost gone - I love them!) And check out her latest designs - the Kensington Note Set?? LOVE IT! Must have!

Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.

Nice to meet you all! I'm Susan Den Herder, owner/founder of Freshly Pressed. I both live and work in a cozy little apartment in Northern Virginia (just outside of Washington, DC) with my husband and son (age 2). In fact, my "office/studio" where I print is actually the hall closet.

Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.

My letterpress boutique on Etsy (www.freshlypressed.etsy.com) is slowly but surely filling up with "ready-to-wear" letterpress note sets. I have also done custom work but the shop is home to products I developed out of my own taste and style and are packaged and ready to enjoy or give as a gift. Letterpress is a 500-year old printing method where an inked plate is pressed into the paper leaving an impression you can see and feel. All of my products are hand pressed one at at time on an antique piece of equipment right here in my home. I like to use design elements that pay tribute to the "heyday" of letterpress and then add a fresh and modern twist. I also adore packaging, so each product has a special finishing touch.

How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story.

I worked at a paper store for a year which had basically been my dream job for some time. I was exposed to--and fell in love with--letterpress. After I had my son and was home with him full-time, I found a letterpress printing class so I could learn the method. I was instantly hooked and started searching for my own press so I could start my business.

As for a favorite item, the Market Street Note Set will probably always have a special little place in my heart. It was the first "official" product I put out as a business and I agonized over every design decision that went into the final result. It was originally designed as a gift for someone, so I was trying to come up with an "old-meets-new" feel that would fit her style. I used the wood type lettering to achieve an old world look and then brought it up to date with fresh colors. The response from friends and family was overwhelming, and it was sweet to know that my note sets were given as Christmas, birthday and bridesmaids gifts that year.

What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?

Here are a few things I learned in the first year...

First, don't do it alone! While you may be the only one doing the actual

dreaming/creating/making of specific products, a small core of support is key. Of course, you don't want opinions from everyone you know, but choose people that really understand your vision and have a unique skill or gift that supports it.

Secondly, figure out what you are about. You have to find your style and voice and then work hard to stay there. I was surprised how quickly I lost track of that when people started requesting other things and I wanted to please them and say "yes" to everything. As I watch others who have been successful, it's because they have found their niche and stayed there.

Lastly, keep doing the things that inspire you. Once your passion becomes a business I think it's so important to go back to whatever really gets you excited about what you do...splurge on your favorite magazine, walk through a museum, browse your favorite shops, etc.

Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!

Just one?! I feel blessed to know and have worked with many talented and creative women and they all inspire me! I also have what I like to call professional "crushes" on many talented designers and shop owners that I only "know" thanks to the world wide web. My top two are probably fabric designer (and mother of six!) Anna Maria Horner and Urbanic Shop Owner Audrey Woollen. They both have impeccable taste and have reached a level of success that is really inspiring.

Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!

Anything that involves people making things. True confession: I love watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory mostly because I would like to be the candy shop owner who gets to organize and sell all those perfectly-packaged products all day. I also just read The Friday Night Knitting Club and loved it for the same reason.

What is your favorite handmade treasure?

I love quilts. We have quite a few in our home that were all made by my mother-in-law and given on special occasions. My favorite is not made yet, but I am planning to use some of my grandmother's old bed linens and maybe some of my old clothes to make a quilt for my baby girl, due to arrive in October. I will need the expertise of my mother-in-law to have it turn out well, but somehow I think that one will be a favorite of mine.

Do you have any suggestions for creatively weathering these tough economic times? How are you creatively making the best of it?

On a very practical note, reuse and repurpose! Some of my greatest finds and inspirationshave been from repurposing older materials. My newest product, to be released in the very near future, was totally inspired by some vintage sewing patterns I found on Ebay and the patterns themselves became part of the packaging.

On the larger scale, I try to stay encouraged by remembering that businesses who are forced to creatively succeed in tough times are likely to experience even more success in the future!

Etsy Treasury - Book It

My Secret Garden journal was featured in this lovely treasury, Book It! How delightful...

Featured Etsy Artisan: LucindaChips

I found this lovely shop, LucindaChips, while I was browsing Etsy's gift guides. Being a lover of white china, these lucindachips plates caught my eye and I took a tour of her shop. Beautiful things!

Lucinda graciously agreed to be interview on my blog - I'm delighted to feature her. Enjoy meeting Lucinda, and be sure to visit LucindaChips on Etsy.

Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.
I'm Lucinda Mudge. I'm a photographer living in London with my husband, various house guests and unfortunately not one dog. We Live next to the Battersea Dogs home, and on the river and we are very happy.

• Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.
I have a lot of fun with my pottery and don't take it at all seriously. I enjoy making loads of different things, and they all seem to look similar. My brother gave me a set of pattern stamps from a brocante in France, they are 'stamp rollers' and you can see them stamped around the borders of my work. I love them and they are currently a huge inspiration in my pottery. I've been making a lot of press moulded work and enjoy it for its immediate results.

• Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story.
I would have to say that my favourite is this dog. His name is Albert. He's a good sort of dog, and is a loving and considerate pet.


• What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
I don't really go in for creative business. I think it can often sap the spirit out of your creativity. My advice is to make your money some other way, and preserve your creativity for non money making purposes.

• Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!
Since I moved to London I have suffered information overload. I like very much the work by the potters Grayson Perry and Hilton Nel.

• Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
I do. I have a wonderful book called 'French Design and Decoration' it is filled with colour plates and has lots of patterns in it.

• What is your favorite handmade treasure?
My husband made a small dog out of clay and the proportions are hilarious. I fired it and glazed it in white. I love it, it is so sweet.

Featured Etsy Artisan: StickerMeChic

I love trolling through Etsy, looking for unique handmade things. I found Jessalynn's shop, StickerMeChic, and got so excited about the work she's doing! I asked her to share a bit about her shop and herself, and she agreed! Yay!

I like these sophisticated monogram stickers... or how about these envelope seals?

Enjoy her interview below, and check out her lovely shop! Thanks for being featured on Paper and Pearls, Jessalyn!

• Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.

My name is Jessalynn Wasiel and I live on the West Coast of British Columbia in Canada and I work from home running my Etsy business and also work part time. I am also a busy mom to an even busier 14 month old toddler (he’s just learned to walk so he keeps me on my toes!).

• Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.

At Sticker Me Chic Boutique (stickermechic.etsy.com) I mainly sell stickers, although even though the name of my shop doesn’t say so, I also sell hang tags, and digital birth announcements. My stickers are my main seller and brides are my main buyers. The stickers can be used for favors, invitations seals, and address labels and can be personalized with their names and event colors. Not only do I get to design the stickers, but I also help to pull together the look of a wedding and I love weddings!

• How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story (and include a pic, if you like)!

When I was getting married, I enjoyed every minute of the planning and loved designing my invitation, which I got letterpress printed. I just loved designing all the other wedding things like my program and favors. In fact, one of my stickers uses the design I created for my invitation. From that point, I always thought how fun it would be to start a wedding related business.

• What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?

Go for it! Whatever reservations you have, leave it at the door! As cliché as it sounds, the only thing stopping you is yourself. For so many years I never had the confidence in my work to start my own business but when I came across Etsy, I realized how many people have their own businesses and are able to make their dreams a reality. When people started to buy my stickers, I thought to myself, why didn’t I ever start this before?

• Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!

The person that inspires me is without a doubt, my son. Watching him see things for the first time and be so appreciative of life inspires me. Knowing he has so much ahead of him makes me really think about my own life and I believe he’s the main reason why I decided to start my own business.

• Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!

I don’t have a particular book or movie that inspires me but what always gets my creative gears going are book stores, craft fairs, paper stores, design books, beautiful magazines, and travelling!

• What is your favorite handmade treasure?

A paper Valentine my husband gave me.

Do you know a creative person you think should be featured on Paper and Pearls? Let me know about them... paperandpearls[at]gmail.com!

Featured Etsy Artisan: TheJuneBride

I have been on a quest for fun floral pins and such lately - and when I found the TheJuneBride, I was so excited about all the lovelies! Karen makes an assortment of wonderful things, from gorgeous brooches (like this lovely cashmere true red primrose), to kid's goodies (like these cute animal ears hats). Karen graciously agreed to be interviewed here on Paper and Pearls Featured Etsy Artisan. Enjoy Karen's inspiring interview, and be sure to check out her lovely shop, The June Bride, on Etsy!

(ps part of Karen's proceeds benefit charities! We all need to be generous to help others in these tough times - what an inspiration Karen is!)

• Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.
Hello! My name is Karen Mitzel and I design, market and sell my own handmade products on Etsy in a shop called TheJuneBride. I live near Ann Arbor, Michigan, with my wonderful husband, Tim. We currently have 3 children under 5 years old (all still at home with me during the day!), and Etsy is my impossible dream come true. While my husband really brings home the bacon, I wanted to do something as a self-funding creative outlet. I’m in it for fun and, interestingly enough, that’s just what it is! I love creating and interfacing with other creative people, and I really feel that it has been a successful endeavor from the start.

• Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.

My shop can be found at http://www.thejunebride.etsy.com/, and it is an ever-evolving conglomeration of anything I feel like making at the moment. I use mainly reclaimed textiles, primarily wool, but I also use a lot of sustainably-sourced fleece for winter accessories. Right now I’m doing a lot of business with my Reclaimed Wool Sweater Brooches, each styled after a flower variety. Those are my current favorites to craft. I make cell phone and iPod cases from salvaged materials, and I also sell hats, mittens and baby booties seasonally and have begun selling my handmade patterns as well. It’s a real smorgasbord of eco-friendly materials and products, and what I decide to do next will surprise both of us, I’m sure!

• How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story.
I am the sort of person who is always working on a project or two, so when I decided to open an Etsy shop last year, the groundwork was already in place for a working environment geared around the children’s needs. I think I’ve always been this way… crafting is in my genes (incidentally, both of my sisters have shops on Etsy as well, www.BasicIngredients.etsy.com and www.TheArtificer.etsy.com). I’ve made all sorts of things over the years (that makes me sound old! I just turned 28!), but one thing I made and love that I use everyday is my bed. I made a headboard out of an old panel door and some trim and stained it to my liking. I take pride in being well-rounded in the world of DIY skills, so I’m proficient with power tools as well as sewing machines and tax forms.

• What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
Love what you do and work hard at it. Research troubles you’re experiencing. Ask for help. Be your own best resource. Keep experimenting with products and designs until you find your niche. Learn the tools of the trade; for Etsy that means photographing your products, writing to sell, listing often, managing your finances, and impeccable customer service.

“Neither borrower nor lender be.” – Lord Polonius, Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Start within your means and grow when you have the capital to invest in yourself. There were other resources I could have tapped, but I started with less than $100 and worked hard to discover creative and free ways to promote my shop. Blogging, Twitter, forums and Etsy treasuries are great and effective ways to increase item views and hearts, make mutually-supportive friends and, ultimately, to get more sales. At the same time, you need to cover your bases when it comes to shop policies, custom orders and consignment opportunities. Make mistakes, but be smart about it: keep them small and make sure to learn from them!

• Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!
My biggest inspiration has to be Mother Theresa. Regardless of one’s religious views, her life and work is a daily reminder to live to the fullest, to be satisfied with and enjoy what you have, and to enrich the lives of all those you encounter simply by caring for them as a whole person. What could be more inspiring? When I think about that, I can see beauty in the mundane and that inspires my work, artistic and otherwise.

• Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
If time were no option (though it always is!), I generally prefer books to movies. I’m working my way through a long list of classics; Melville’s “Moby Dick” at the moment. Despite the reputation that they get in high school literature classes as being boring, familiarity with the classics gives you a real feeling for what is timeless, and I think that carries over into your creations. Whether your own goal is to be traditional or fashion forward, understanding the past certainly helps educate the future.

• What is your favorite handmade treasure?
My favorite handmade treasure is a family heirloom, the baptismal gown that all of my children, my husband, his father, grandfather, and great grandfather (and many, many other relatives) all used as an infant. It is a simple two-layered cotton shift gown with hand-tatted lace and pintucks, made by my husband’s great great grandmother. I cherish the idea that one handmade item can impact so many people’s lives over so many years.

• Do you have any suggestions for creatively weathering these tough economic times? How are you creatively making the best of it?
Times are certainly tough right now, especially in the Detroit area, and we are hearing of auto industry lay offs and business closings weekly. I feel very fortunate to be mostly unaffected by it personally, but my husband and I are doing our best to help those who need it. I rely on local charity thrift stores like Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army for the hundreds of wool sweaters I use in my shop. Additionally, at the beginning of 2009, I was able to donate $1000 purely from my Etsy shop profits to local charities that provide food, shelter and medical care to needy families. This would not be possible without people willing to patronize my business, and I’m grateful for the community of loyal Etsy shoppers that is supporting so many independent artists at a time when many truly need that extra income. Thank you!

Featured Etsy Artisan: eikcam

I love this Etsy shop! Eikcam does ceramics, jewelry, and GORGEOUS pottery. Her pieces are beautifully photographed - visit eikcam for some eye candy. Grace kindly agreed to be interviewed - I'm so glad you readers can enjoy her inspirations. Thanks, Grace!

I especially like the lovely palette for the pottery. This White Dasik Tea Tumbler is GORGEOUS... I want it! And this Tomato Red Organic Shaped Side Dish? Lovely. Actually - I want all of it. :-)

Keep up the lovely work, Grace of eikcam! Thanks for joining us here at Paper and Pearls as our Featured Etsy Artisan!

Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.
Hi, I'm Grace from eikcam design in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I work from my tiny, little studio on the East side of Vancouver among some other great artists in our building. The part of Vancouver my studio is located is an area where there are many local artists working as full time artisans and where there is a lot of local culture and markets that support the arts scene.

Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.
My etsy shop is a collection of my ceramic work which ranges from jewelry to tableware. I also shoot vintage photography with my old Duaflex camera and have a small collection of BC inspired imagery. Most of my work has an aged or antiqued feel to it and I do use old antique molds for my ceramic ware. I love being on Etsy and being a part of this handmade community. I hope to have a more complete list of products up very soon. www.eikcam.etsy.com

How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story.
Well, I am grateful for my parents and grandmother who encouraged my creative interests at a very early age. I've been painting, drawing, sculpting, printing my whole life and eventually majored in product design at art school. My favorite item so far are my tea tumblers. They are made from clay slabs but I've incorporated many elements into the design. I use an antique mold from the early 1900's from Korea married with a Provence styled texture on the base. Then I form ergonomic 'grips' for ease and comfort while drinking. They also work great for wine or even a cappuccino.

What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
Having confidence in your work is really important. But, also being open to comments and feedback will help you decide where you might have some weak points and where your strong point are. Mostly, if you don't enjoy every second of what you're creating, then you might not be doing it for the right reasons.

Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!
I actually have two! The two Martha's: Martha Stewart and Martha Sturdy. Of course, Martha Stewart for her amazing talents and business sense. And, Martha Sturdy who is a Vancouver artist who attended my alma mater, Emily Carr and started with a small jewelry collection and now makes huge architectural art pieces for the home. Both had vision and the smarts and stuck to their ideas and goals.

Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
There are too many films to list. But, in general, many foreign films inspire me. Whether they show the Dutch light on the landscape or the gritty underground in Budapest, these small independent films show me an interpretation of another part of the world that I wouldn't have otherwise seen. Colors, imagery and cinematography are all inspiring to me.

What is your favorite handmade treasure?
My last trip to Paris I found a tiny shop of just felted finger puppets. All four walls covered in hand stitched creations. It was so lovely! I have a lion, piglet and some darling unknown creature.