Thursday, July 31, 2014

ThePurpleTable



The SpotLight member of August is ThePurpleTable!

This month I'd like to introduce you to Debi.  She's an incredibly talented artist that is not afraid to try new things.  

Etsy Paper: Tell us a little about yourself.
Debi: Hi. My name is Debi and I’m the artist behind The Purple Table. I live and work in Northern Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C. My pug dog, Theo keeps me company in the evenings when I work on artistic projects for my Etsy shop. My interests
 are varied and include interior design, photography, painting, and papercrafts.
Etsy Paper: When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Debi: I opened my Etsy shop, The Purple Table in February of 2012. I had just spent several months planning my son’s wedding and making the decorations for the event. During that process I discovered rubber stamping and the amazing array of creativity it allows. 

Etsy Paper: Tell us about your shop.
Debi: What began as a large old wooden door was transformed into an artist desk by decoupaging various purple papers onto its surface. The Purple Table is literally the place where my creativity and imagination run wild to create handmade paper goods and small gifts. My shop, The Purple Table, specializes in unique greeting cards for all occasions, gift tags, altered journals for your notes and thoughts, and recycled domino art.
Purple peacock feather tags, peacock wedding wish tags, gift tags, iridescent Embossed favor tags, party tags,
Gift Tags
Etsy Paper: What inspires you?
Debi: I think I have an eclectic style. But I’m a pretty down to earth girl and a romantic at heart. I love vintage, the whimsical, nature, and romance. Most of my creations have bits of those in them. An obsessive collection of rubber stamps contributes to ever changing designs.


Etsy Paper: Do you sell mostly online or at craft shows?
Debi: My Etsy shop is the main outlet for my products. I have participated in 3-4 craft shows in the last year and would like to expand on that. I’ve had a lot of fun at them and met some very talented and interesting people. 

Etsy Paper: How did you learn your craft?
Debi: I’ve always been interested in Art and anything that would allow creative expression. I did take art classes when I was younger, but I’ve always been artistic and crafty. I’m that girl who is most likely to say “I think I can make that for you”. It helps that I’m a big DIY person and don’t hesitate to give most things a try.
Blue Wedding Ideas notebook, Engagement Gift, wedding shower gift, bride to be gift, embossed journal
Notebook
www.thepurpletable.comEtsy Paper: How do you get the word out about your products?
Debi: Within the Etsy environment, I participate in teams and treasuries to promote my products. I also use Pinterest to some extent, and my website: www.thepurpletable.com links to my Etsy shop. I’ve been featured in several blogs as well as two wedding magazines which have given my shop exposure and brought in custom orders for gift tags. 

I also collaborated with Strathmore Artist Papers who stumbled upon my Etsy shop. They revamped the packaging of their products and two of my cards were used on the new product packaging for their stamping cards in 2013. You can see my pear note card and goldfish collage on their packages in retail stores and online here: 
www.strathmoreartist.com/product-reader/items/stamping-cards.html

www.strathmoreartist.com/debi-jones.html


Etsy Paper: How much planning do you do before you create?
Debi: I don’t know that I follow any set of rules or process. My best work often comes from total randomness. I work on it till it “looks right” to me. :) I do create for me — meaning what I create is something I would like to receive.

Etsy Paper: What is your favorite item to create and why? Tell us about it.
Debi: I love experimenting with different techniques and mixing materials. Greeting cards are perfect for this because it can be done on a small scale. If it doesn't work out – I just move on, it’s not a huge investment in time or materials.
Happy Birthday notecard, flowers, Red, yellow, blue floral blank card, birthday wishes
Birthday Card
Etsy Paper: What has been your favorite comment from purchasers about your product?
Debi: I’ve been very fortunate that customers have taken the time to leave such wonderful reviews and comments regarding their purchases and experiences with my shop. One of my favorite comments left is a small one, but had me smiling for days:
“Artistry in a card~ beautiful :) ”


You can read all of Debi's Reviews here.
www.etsy.com/shop/ThePurpleTable/reviews

What an amazing talent she has.  Browsing through her shop it was fun to see all the details included in her items, especially the greeting cards.
www.etsy.com/shop/ThePurpleTable

Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper Team
Captain




1 comment:

Suzi Smith said...

Great interview & lovely shop…. wold love to see a pic of that purple table!