Sunday, June 1, 2014

Heedopter

Member SpotLight, Heedopter!

This month I have decided to place my focus on a unique and playful shop.

Please welcome Jennifer of www.etsy.com/shop/Heedopter.

Etsy Paper: Tell us a little about yourself.
Jennifer:  I’m from the Netherlands and happily together with a great English guy, together we have a gorgeous 6 year old son and 3 very lazy cats. We live in a smallish, but lively and beautiful town, about half an hour north of Amsterdam called Hoorn. 


Etsy Paper: When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Jennifer:  The Heedopter shop opened in November 2012. I just wanted to get my creative flow going again so in a wild mood I created 20 illustrations, printed them on cards and hooray! My Etsy shop was opened. It really was that simple.


Etsy Paper: Tell us about your shop.
Jennifer:  My shop is full of stationery and paper goodies. I use my own illustrations on cards, handmade notebooks, art prints, giftwrap, DIY paper puppets and DIY paper houses. I love to experiment with different types of paper, like screenprinting on vintage pattern paper or use thick sturdy recycled greyboard for greeting cards. I value sustainability a lot and try to use as many recycled and eco friendly materials as I can.



Valentine card - A5 greyboard - My love for you
Greeting Card
Etsy Paper: Is there something that you've never tried with paper that you'd like to try?
Jennifer:  I would love to try to make my own paper from paper pulp but am lacking time to get into it (and isn’t it really messy?)


Etsy Paper: Do you sell mostly online or at craft shows?
Jennifer:  I mainly sell online since it’s so flexible in what hours I put in and when (in the middle of the night if I wanted to!) but this summer I’ve been doing a few craft shows as well. And it’s so lovely to meet customers and get a real feel of who’s buying my products.


Etsy Paper: How many different selling venues do you use?
Jennifer:  I do sell at a few websites. Etsy,of course, but also the more Europe orientated Dawanda (heedopter.dawanda.com) and on the Dutch site ‘Met de hand’ (www.metdehand.nl/winkel/heedopter). Besides the 'selling sites' I’m active on social media and my blog:
www.facebook.com/Heedopter
twitter.com/Heedopter
instagram.com/heedopter
www.pinterest.com/heedopter/
www.heedopter.com


Etsy Paper: Do you have a day job? If so are you up all night crafting?
Jennifer:  Yes, I do have a day job, 4 days a week. I’m spending a lot of evening and weekend work on Heedopter. It’s tough at times! I do have my free Monday which I always spend designing and the rest is done in between all the other bits that need doing (like boring household chores).


Etsy Paper: Is there a certain color or motif that you are repeatedly drawn to?
Jennifer:  Clouds! And sun and rain. I can’t help it and I don’t where it’s coming from but I love simply love clouds!

Greeting card... Colourful rain...
Greeting Card

Etsy Paper: What has been your most successful marketing technique to date?
Jennifer:  For our Mother’s day gift boxes we created a really cool stop motion movie. We buzzed about it on social media a couple of weeks before it was released and eventually the boxes, which contained beautiful folding posters, sold out! It was great and exciting!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNx86h2JCdA


Etsy Paper: Do you have a favorite quote to share?
Jennifer:  It’s one with a special meaning to my boyfriend , he has been carrying it with him in his wallet for years. And then I surprised him with an typographic art print featuring this quote by Henry David Thoreau: "Go confidently into the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined" It reminds us everyday to just go and live that dream, make it happen!



Art print... Go confidently into the direction of your dreams...
Art Print

What a sweet shop full of wonderful creations.  The YouTube video is something I wish I could carry in my pocket and watch when I'm feeling down, so perfect.

Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper Team
Captain