Interview with an Etsy seller – Vanessa of The Pudgy Rabbit

08 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy, Etsy seller interviews

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This month’s interview is with Vanessa, the owner of a fun Etsy shop called The Pudgy Rabbit based in New York. The Pudgy Rabbit sells extremely cute amigurumi crochet kits and patterns ranging from penguins to coffee mugs.

For those who can already crochet, you will love the amigurumi patterns, but the Pudgy Rabbit’s speciality is crochet kits. The kits include absolutely everything you need. Depending on the kit you buy, it will include crochet hook, yarn, stuffing, safety eyes, safety nose, embroidery floss, needle, felt, stitch marker and a step by step instruction booklet. The packaging is beautiful too. Kits would make excellent gifts for crafters and non-crafters. Perfect for Christmas!

pudgy rabbit etsy shop crochet kit

Vanessa’s background is in animation and stop motion. She got into crochet during college as way to combine her love of crafting with building puppets. After graduating and job hunting, she began crocheting constantly as a creative outlet. She built up quite a collection of goofy crochet creatures, so decided to put them up for sale online and The Pudgy Rabbit was born.

Vanessa has always been into crafting and making things with her hands, whether it’s working with paper mâché or clay, but crocheting remains one of her favorite mediums because there’s so many different designs you can create with just a few simple stitches. Like most of us she’s also a bit of a yarn hoarder and crochet helps her work through the massive boxes of yarn under her desk.

Q: Why did you start making crochet kits and what made you decide to sell it on Etsy?

When I began the shop in 2010, I started off selling finished toys and dolls. A couple years later, I moved on to selling crochet kits and patterns. Through selling at craft fairs, people would tell me that they always wanted to learn how to crochet, but weren’t sure where to begin. I thought having a kit that combines a fun project with all the necessary materials would give them a great start to learning a new craft.

Q: Do you also sell in a bricks and mortar shop or at craft markets? If so, how do sales compare with your Etsy shop.

I currently have my kits in a couple of shops, The Brooklyn Women’s Exchange in NYC and Matchbox Studios in New Zealand. I also sell at craft fairs throughout the year. I really enjoy doing fairs because it gives me a chance to meet customers, answer questions, and see what other crafters are creating. I’m hoping to get the kits into more shops and markets in the near future, because I think it helps for customers to see the finished projects that each kit creates in person.

Q: What do you enjoy most about being an Etsy seller?

I love hearing from customers who’ve enjoyed my kits or people who received them as gifts. It’s always great to get feedback because it helps me make improvements and decide what designs to make next

Q: How do you find the right balance between being creative and being business minded?

As a small business and the only person running the shop, the creative and business side go hand in hand. I find it helps to prioritize what needs to be done and divide the work accordingly. In the beginning, I found the business part a bit overwhelming and wasn’t sure where to start. As the shop grew and I learned more about how to keep things running, I found that I actually enjoyed all the problem solving and challenges that come with the business side.

Q: How do you keep your pattern designs fresh and unique?

I’m inspired by feedback from customers as well as friends and family. They’ll ask for different colors or suggest designs they would like to see and this helps me pick what patterns to work on next. I also research trends and popular animals to get a better sense of what people are looking for.

Q: Do you worry about, or have you experienced, people copying your work?

I’ve been lucky so far in that I haven’t experienced anyone really copying my work. While I do check to make sure my images aren’t being used without proper credit or permission, I don’t worry about copycats. I think it’s a risk you have to take when putting your business out there. You simply have to be diligent about protecting your work and take the steps necessary to shut things down if you do find someone taking advantage of your designs

Q: Do you have any tips for crochet pattern sellers on Etsy?

Take the best photos you can of your items and keep an open mind to keep learning new techniques. You never know what will inspire your next pattern.

Q: Where else, apart from Etsy, can readers find you?

Blog/website: www.thepudgyrabbit.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepudgyrabbit

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thepudgyrabbit

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thepudgyrabbit/

I can definitely see the animation influences in Vanessa’s cute amigurumi designs. Only someone with this kind of background can design a crochet pattern for a talking coffee mug or birthday cake that you just Have To Have. And just look at this penguin! Cute or what?!

This is one very talented lady who saw a gap in the market and she’s running with it. I wish her all the best for the future.

XXXXXX

Get 15% off your purchase at The Pudgy Rabbit with coupon code CROCHETIME. The coupon is valid from Dec 8th, 2014 to Dec 14th, 2014.

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You can see some of Vanessa’s pieces in an amigurumi exhibition at the RESOBOX Gallery in NYC from Dec 12th, 2014 to Feb 28th, 2015.

Interview with an Etsy seller – Elizabeth Prince

05 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy, Etsy seller interviews

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ceramics, Etsy

So you all know I love crochet, right? What you may not know is that I also love pottery. I studied Ceramics as one of my subjects in High School and my Mom was a ceramics teacher who taught from her studio at our home. I went to sleep many a night with the sound of clay being thrown and the ticking noise of a kiln firing at 1000+ degrees.

Imagine my sheer delight when I stumbled upon Elizabeth Prince Design UK on Etsy a few years ago: in her shop she sells homeware that are a combination of vintage lace textures and ceramics! I mean really. It’s my two favourite things put together. Needless to say Prince Design UK is one of My Favourite Shops.

Elizabeth Prince hails from Manchester, United Kingdom. She has a background in interior design and fine art. Add to that a great love of clay and designs that grow out ideas that start life as gifts for family, friends and loved ones, and you have a recipe for success. For example, Elizabeth’s first worked with crochet to make a ceramics present for her Mum using a piece of crochet that belonging to her mother.

Golden Swallows Moroccon Wall Art

Red and Gold Bird Christmas Decoration

white and red lacy birds christmas decorations ornaments

White Swallows Moroccon Wall Art

Gold Ceramic Installation

I wanted to know more about Elizabeth, the “Ex-interior designer, ginger tea drinker, perfectionist maker, roof gardening music lover with a long term addiction to clay” behind the beautiful ceramics.

Q: How did your ceramics business start and what made you decide to sell it on Etsy?
My business started because I thought I would see if I could sell a few of my ceramic pots that I had been making as a hobby for years in my spare time whilst I worked as an interior designer. I’m delighted to say that I have sold far more than I ever imagined I would at the start, and I am very thankful that I am able to make a living doing something that I enjoy.

Q: Do you also sell in a bricks and mortar shop? If so, how do sales compare with your Etsy shop.
No. Right now, I think that running a bricks and mortar shop would involve too much management and would take too much time away from my creative practice. Also, whilst I love studio visits by arrangement, I think people coming in and out of a shop all day would be really distracting for me.

Q: I adore your Bird Bowls with lace texture. Please tell me more about the vintage lace you use.
I am always on the lookout for interesting textures and lace. Some of my favourite textures have come from antique hand embroidered ladies handkerchiefs that were passed down through my family, and crochet doilies that were my grandmother’s. Others come from my travels – I have some gorgeous cut out embroidered pieces that I collected in Spain.

Q: How do you keep your designs fresh and unique? What inspires you?
I am inspired by nature, people, interiors, homes, vintage design and craft, fine art – the list really is endless. Making gifts for people I love often has been a starting point for a range of ceramics – after all, your customers might not be so different from your friends and family. Also my customers inspire me. They might for example ask for a certain colour or size that I might not have thought of using, and that can influence my choices too.

I research a lot about other cultures and traditional design from around the world, so that can feed in to my work too.

Q: Are there big differences between working with porcelain and ceramic clay?
Porcelain is a type of ceramic clay, but the particles that make it up are smaller. That means that when they are treated with extreme heat in the kiln ( I fire to around 1250 degrees C ) the effect is that they bond more tightly and vitrify. That mens that it is similar to glass, and can sometimes have a translucent effect when you hold it up to the light. The small particles also make a very smooth surface. However, most ceramicists will tell you that it is a more difficult type of clay to use – it’s more prone to cracking and sagging than other types of clay, so you have to accept that there may be a couple of casualties in your firing. Of course, it also has the pure white colour which can make glazes seem brighter in colour, and the feel is just lovely! That said, I also use a creamy textured clay that is special too – it has a texture and colour that I love and it is strong.

Q: How do you find the right balance between being creative and being business minded?
When I started out I was a little intimidated by the business side of things. However, I found as I went along that I found the business side of things to be unexpectedly creative. A lot of it is problem solving, and I have found that I actually enjoy the business side of things far more that I expected to. I wouldn’t say there is a balance as such – I am a small producer, so things come up on a day to day basis and have to be prioritised appropriately. So that means sometimes business or admin stuff has to be done that day, and other times, creativity has to happen that day.

Q: Do you have a day-job?
No – I work full time on my ceramics business.

Q: Describe your typical day.
I usually start with emails/admin at home first thing before I leave for the studio because I prefer to travel after rush hour. That quiet time in the morning allows me to focus and plan my day a little before I arrive at my studio. In the studio I often have an assistant, so I assign her some tasks and we ensure all the orders that are ready to ship are packed and sent out. After that I will usually be making, finishing, designing or experimenting with new ideas and designs.

Q: Do you worry about, or have you experienced, people copying your work?
I don’t worry about that really, just because I don’t waste time thinking about negative things that might happen. Unfortunately though, I have experienced my work being copied several times. I have even found Chinese wholesalers using my photographs and offering to make my work by the 1000s on their websites, but I have swiftly had them removed. I think that people might see my work and imagine me to be a sweet little push over. Sadly for them, they are mistaken – whilst I can be sweet in my personal life, I have taken, and will take, action where necessary to protect my work.

Q: Apart from your etsy shop, where can we find you?:
Facebook: princedesignuk
Twitter: PrinceDesignUK
Pinterest: Elizabeth Prince
Blog: Gone Potty
Website: Elizabeth Prince

Elizabeth is a force to be reckoned with as a ceramics artist and a business woman (did you read what she does when people copy her work? – you go girl!). As a fellow Etsy seller I can only hope to one day be as successful as she is.

xxxxxxx

As a special treat for my readers, Elizabeth will give 10% discount on all purchase until Christmas!!

Use the Coupon Code: CROCHETIME

Looking at the photos, I’m really happy with how they turned out. Using a masculine grey for feminine lacy crochet really gives me a kick and I’m loving the gloomy grey contrasting with the bright yellow and pink, and looking stylish against the off-white. There’s just something about grey that I love. It’s a great neutral colour which makes anything else you put with it, “pop” yet it’s not as boring as black or dull like brown.

Navy would be my other Alternative Neutral. Oooh there’s an idea I need to explore! Just the other other day I read that navy has been hailed the new black for interiors and fashion. I may just have to whip up a coaster or two in navy with a colourful border, but for now, here are my Happy And Gloomy coasters.

Technically they are coasters, but I like to think of them as modern mini doilies too. They’re made using Vinnis Nikkim in Slate, Natural, Baby Pink and Sunshine Yellow. I only made one set of four coasters for each colour to sell in my Etsy shop. They’re available at £6 for a set of four, but I’ll be happy to make you one, or more than four.

I’ve just decided: I’ll make a navy and lime green coaster for me to use at work! That will surely liven up any desk and make tea drinking extra special!

Terrific Tuesday

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy, Other people's crochet, Terrific Tuesdays

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crochet art, crochet jewellery

On a Monday I can still remember the fun I had over the weekend, Wednesday is the middle of the work week, on Thursday I start getting hopeful and on a Friday I can taste the weekend. But what about a Tuesday? It’s so…. just there. Weekend memories are too far away and the upcoming weekend might as well be a year away.

What we need is a bit of colourful inspiration to get us going on a Tuesday, don’t you think? A pretty picture, beautiful scenery or colourful imagery. Yup, that’ll liven up Tuesdays and turn it into a terrific day!

From now on I will go through my photos and Pinterest likes every Tuesday and find us a pretty picture to add colour and joy to the day.

xxxxxx

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

I adore this hedgehog swinging from a tree crocheted pendant. It’s cute, crochet and a true work of art. It’s the work of Saffron Johns who lives in Bulgaria and sells her wire art in her Other Worlds Etsy shop. You should have a look at the other amazing pieces of crochet jewelery she makes. I love the Mouse Playing Trumpet double brooch and the Parrot Bird Cage pendant is truly amazing. You definitely wont be able to blend into the crowd when you wear these pieces of crochet art! And it’s sure to make you smile. Perfect for a Tuesday.

Wishing you all a Terrific Tuesday.

Natasja

Zigzag wrist warmers pattern

27 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy, My crochet, Pattern

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chevron, crochet, crochet pattern, fingerless gloves, wrist warmers, wristies

It’s officially Spring in the UK. The daffodils are out, pink and white blossoms can be seen on the shrubs, bright green new leaves are just about sprouting and ye, my hands were freezing on the walk home from the station last night. Of course I didn’t have any gloves with me – see the first sentence. What I need to carry with me for these in-between seasons is something to keep my hands warm yet not be a full-on woolen glove.

What oh what could that be? Oh, I know! The pair of zigzag wrist warmers that I crocheted on Saturday!

This pair.

crochet with fingerless gloves

See how great they are for getting on with things like crocheting and drinking coffee? My fingers can roam freely to do all manner of practical things, yet I ~~look~~ feel super funky while I’m doing it.

I’m a bit obsessed with chevrons lately. I’ve always loved stripes, so a pointy stripe is like striking gold. I love the ups and downs, the zigs and the zags.

Would you like to make a pair of chevron wrist warmers too? You’re in luck. Not only did I make myself a pair on Saturday I also wrote down the pattern and listed it in my Etsy shop! You can buy it for a mere £2.50. Just click on the photo below or on this link to go straight to the pattern. The pattern is downloadable as a .pdf file so you’ll get it straight away.

Just a word of warning. You may end up looking like you have broken your wrist when you try one your first wrist warmer. Don’t let the OnlyOneWristWarmerLook put you off off wristies. Once you’ve made the second one the look comes together beautifuly. Certainly don’t show your husband the first one and ask him how it looks because you will, I guarantee it, be the butt of a Michael Jackson joke.

Interview with JellyBeanHQ

09 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy

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interview

Meet the lovely Anastasia Bird, owner of JellyBean Etsy shop. I was lucky enough to be paired up with Ana for the Etsy School which was run during February. Ana and I both learned a lot from each other, and about ourselves and our shop, through the four weeks of Etsy School. The final week of Etsy School was all about social media and getting your Etsy shop “out there” so we thought what better way than to interview each other on our blogs!?

Anastasia, the owner of JellyBeanHQ

1. Tell us a little bit about your business and what you make?

I create handmade wooden home decor and gifts, they’re all completely able to be personalised to suit the customer. We create everything from plaques, to freestanding decorations, to stationery sets.

2. What made you want to work with wood? How did that come about?

I’ve always been creative and have a lot of crafty hobbies, such as cross stitch, crochet and card making… However I really have a passion for wood. It’s so versatile and is essentially a blank canvas. I really feel that wood is a great material to work with 🙂

3. What inspired you to start your own business?

I used to be a carer for the elderly but sadly had to stop due to injury. I struggled with not working whilst recovering and had to find an output to stop me being so bored and feeling useless. So I got creative and Jellybean was born. The inspiration I suppose was making the most of myself… not allowing myself to just sit and be… I wanted to be something!

4. What dreams do you have for the business? What would you absolutely love to see happen?

Eventually I’d love to have a shop, with a workshop in the back. The shop would have a lovely little cafe and be full of gorgeous handmade items from fellow small business’. Sort of a one stop shop for all gifts, home decor and craft supplies… That’s a long long way in the future but it’s a big dream as it’d be awesome to give back to the community and create jobs. In the short term i’d just love to keep learning, building my portfolio and growing the business at a steady rate.

5. What’s your favourite thing about running a business?

The customers, 100%. I “meet” so many people and from all different walks of life and it’s so interesting! I’ve made some friends for life through Jellybean and I could not be more thankful!

6. What do you feel is the most challenging part about running a business?

Absolutely has to be finding the right balance between home and work… Jellybean is my full time job and I find it really challenging to switch off sometimes. But it’s definately something I’m improving all the time and the business is better off as a result.

7. What part of running your business do you always strive to improve?

My photography. My photos, to me, are never good enough. I’m always learning new things and ways to make my photos the best they can possibly be. It’s so important as a predominately e-commerce business as the photos really need to make the customer know what the product is all about. They can’t touch it, or see it in person until they’ve bought it so it’s really really important we get that right.

8. Do you have a favourite small business other than your own

I have tonnes and tonnes of favourite small business’… Heartstitch, Patricks Pieces, Sew Now, Poppy Rose Embroidery, Playdough Factory… The list can go on and on and on!

10. Whats your inspiration

My customers, my animals, music, colours, trends… Anything and everything can inspire me!