Make Something Everyday

Storque article on Etsy

Concept: make something new each day for the next 365 days.

I'll say this; it will keep you busy. :^)

Get In Where You Fit In

Crafters are really crafty. (Ya think, Lisa?) This goes beyond the art or craft itself. We have to be innovative in all areas. Over the past month Etsy Artists of Color street team members have been featured on the EAOC team blog. One of the questions asked is "Where do you create?" The answers varied but one thing is true: not everyone has the option of working in a studio so we must work with what we have. As I was reading today's post about Robyn, of SydneyAustinDesigns, I had to laugh at her response to the above question.

"Where do you create? In a corner, on a little black table."

I hadn't given it much thought before. Usually I pull out my supplies and just get to work. My "blending room" is wherever I take my Ikea 5 drawer storage unit. Soapers may know exactly the one I'm talking about because the smaller drawers are the perfect size to be used as 2 lb molds (I hear Alton Brown repeating "Multi-task, multi-task."). I keep all my small bottles of essential oils, tinctures and chunks of resins in there along with my notebooks, pens, highlighters, scent strips, pipettes, vials, labels, scissors and tape. When it's time to start blending I pick the whole thing up and move to where there is a quiet and unoccupied area. The same goes for soaping or making other B&B products. I have one large storage unit that I keep my supplies locked away in. When it's time to get crafting I take out what I need and drop it into a Rubbermaid bin (except for the lye, of course lol) and carry it to where I'll be working.

It would be nice to have a place where I could just walk in, have a seat and start working. But for now I'll keep carrying around my Ikea shelf and Rubbermaid bin, like Linus and his blanket.

Greetings...Purple Rhino Crafts

How long have you been crafting and what made you decide to sell?
I've been crafting most of my life. I remember being fascinated with the gimp cord weaving and enameling copper squares at summer camp when I was about 7 or 8. And to the horror of my father I begged my great grandmother to teach me how to crochet! Creating has always been a part of daily life for me since. I enjoy a multitude of crafts from fiber arts, paper crafting and stained glass, but finding pottery has opened a new world of crafting for me. To take a mound of clay and form it into usable art is a spiritual experience for me. Working with earth is always soothing and meditative.

I decided to sell because we were running out of places to put things! Also friends and family were always asking to buy things so selling at fairs and on Etsy was a natural progression.

What inspires you to create?
Nature and history are the two things that inspire me the most. Reading is another favorite pass time and I find ideas popping into my head that way as well.

How do you organize your time?
Poorly! I need to set a schedule and stick to it. If I ever do I'll be sure to let you know.

How do you promote your work and where can we find it?
Mostly on Etsy purplerhino.etsy.com and at some local craft fairs.

What are your business plans for the remainder of 2008 and into 2009?
To get organized in time and product firstly. Then to work on sets of items rather than just individual ones. I've started cross promoting with the Pagans of Etsy Street Team and hope to work more with them to learn and grow as a seller.