NyhaGraphics

For the month of March, I bring you Naomi.  Her work is creative, whimsy, and will bring out the child in all of us.  Her shop, NyhaGraphics, displays her amazing work.

Card

Etsy Paper:  Tell us a little about yourself.
Naomi:  Hello, I’m Naomi the creative for all the illustrated products in my store Nyha Graphics. I create all my products in a little studio in south London. I have a background in Visual Communication Design, specializing in illustration. I work part-time as Book Cover Designer for a publisher and the other half of the time I’m designing and creating products or promoting my Etsy store and selling wholesale to local stores.

Etsy Paper:  When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Naomi:  I opened my Etsy store in the summer 2010.

Notebook

Etsy Paper:  Tell us about your shop.
Naomi:  In my store I sell greeting cards, stationery - notebooks, coloring page packs, mirrors, badges and a few limited edition prints. I have a basic necessity (or possible obsession) to draw, paint and make things, it got to a point I had created so much artwork decided to sell some.

I love to draw - cute stuff: birds; whimsical characters; cupcakes and typographic positive/motivation pieces and a few illustrated poems.

I have two styles: little pen & ink drawings with a light watercolor finish; and a children’s picture book style also pen and ink artwork, that is scanned and has a digital mixed media finished. All my products are printed professionally on watercolor quality recycled paper by my local / UK printers on FSC accredited paper.

Etsy Paper:  Do you have a favorite quote to share?
Naomi:  "Creativity takes courage." - Henri Matisse

Etsy Paper:  When your creativity gets blocked/clogged, what do you do or where do you go to get inspired and create again?
Naomi:  I go to a art exhibition / gallery or I’ll go shopping to a art/craft shop, gift and card shop. I love little independent or design led shops like Diverse in Brixton, Paperchase or Tate Modern Gift Shop or ETC in Angel bursting will inspiration for me.

Coloring Set

Etsy Paper:  What is it about paper that you love?
Naomi:  I love the feel of the grain, the pureness of paper, the variations of options in weight and color. I love the way my ink sits on the paper or the paint absorbs into the paper.

Etsy Paper:  Where do you feel at peace, free from all the pressure of family and work?
Naomi:  At the seaside or a beach, I love looking out to the horizon, such pure beauty and the sound of waves splashing in and rushing out is extremely relaxing.

Etsy Paper:  How do you fix your "mistakes"? Do you have tricks to salvage your work, or do you just start over and "turn over a new page"?
Naomi:  Although I use Adobe Photoshop and InDesign and my final artwork is a digital mix. I try not to tamper with the original artwork very much. So as much as I hate to start again, as a illustrator it is great practice to start over and not to be too precious about a piece. I like my work to look loose and painty with space to let the paper breathe. If I overwork a piece or spill my Indian ink, I will start again. After all the second could be that much better…Fingers crossed.

Art Print

Etsy Paper:  Why do you do what you do?
Naomi:  I create because it is my passion, I’ve found pleasure with drawing since I found my first crayons and truly can’t imagine not being creative. Creating art is a great slice of bliss, I loose track of time, feel like I achieved something, made someone happy and it relaxes me.

Etsy Paper:  What has been your favorite comment from purchasers about your product?
Naomi:  My favorite comment was a review for one of my 2014 calendars from a lady in Canada.
“A delightful calendar that will cheer anyone up every day! It was sent quickly and had some treats tucked in to make me smile as wide as can be...Naomi spreads kindness around the world with her work!”

And I think that's the perfect quote to end with.  That is one of the joys of buying from Etsy, handmade items, packed with care and kindness.  Way to go NyhaGraphics!

Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper
Team Captain

Scrappy Seahorse

This month I thought you'd enjoy reading about a shop with a whole lot of love.  Just in time for Valentine's Day and planning a June wedding, ScrappySeahorse has so much to choose from.  Now let's get to know the owner, Megan!

Etsy Paper:  Tell us a little about yourself.
Scrappy Seahorse:  My Name is Megan Cichorz and I live in a tiny rural community called Pantego, NC. It is about an hour from the Outer banks one direction and an hour from Greenville in the other. I live here with my wonderful hubby, 4 great kids, 4 chickens, 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 fish, and 1 tortoise.

Etsy Paper:  When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Scrappy Seahorse:  The idea of starting my own art/craft business has been a lifelong dream that grew into a beginning concept a few years ago, before I had ever heard of Etsy. I went the route of taking some formal studies in Art and Design at East Carolina University and dabbled with a few craft shows. Then this past year I hit a few milestones: I turned 40, celebrated my 20th anniversary, and began designing my oldest daughter’s upcoming wedding. In the midst of all the wedding planning a lightbulb went off in my head and within a few weeks Scrappy Seahorse Designs officially opened. That was June of 2014.

Save the Date Scratch Offs

Etsy Paper:  Tell us about your shop.
Scrappy Seahorse:  My shop focuses on what I call truly handmade paper goods and accessories for weddings and celebrations. I stress the ‘truly handmade” because my work stands apart from mass printed/purely digital work that you usually find in the wedding world. Each of my pieces or invitations goes through my hands with every cut, punch, brush stroke, stamp, and ribbon tie. This gives my invitations, guest books, journals, etc. a really one-of-a-kind quality, which I think every bride wants for her special day.

Cake Topper

Etsy Paper:  Do you have a special place for your crafting, or does the kitchen table do double duty?
Scrappy Seahorse:  The shop started out in boxes and bins, then a table in my bedroom, and now it has ultimately become a full studio in what was our homeschool room. So now school takes over the kitchen table instead of my work.

Etsy Paper:  Are you a clean or messy crafter?
Scrappy Seahorse:  My kids just remarked the other day how I am a bit of a clean freak about the house, but a total mess in my craft room. I am huge multi-tasker so I have lists, scraps, projects, and half-done design concepts everywhere. I think of it as creative chaos.

Etsy Paper:  When your creativity gets clogged, what do you do or where do you go to get inspired and create again?
Scrappy Seahorse:  With weddings it is easy because there is a constant seasonal change with magazines and blogs to pull from. Plus, each bride has her own unique vision and ideas that I get to work off of.
I also get lots of ideas from my scraps. I may do an invitation and have 100 pieces of cut off paper that are the same size and shape. Those scraps will become a bookmark, or a set of favor tags, or maybe a new embellishment . Waste Not, Want not.

Gift Tags

Etsy Paper:  Where do you feel at peace, free from all the pressure of family and work?
Scrappy Seahorse:  Well, the cool thing about my shop is I get to be home with my family and this “work” is not work to me at all. My craft room is my peaceful haven. 

Etsy Paper:  What is your favorite item to make, the one that makes you smile just thinking about working on it?
Scrappy Seahorse:  My favorite item to make is my wedding invitations. I love getting to convo the brides on every little detail, so we can create something that fits their vision for their Big Day. It is fun to make something that gives someone such joy. My Scrappy Seahorse brides are always so cute, because who isn’t full of excitement when choosing things for their wedding day.

Wedding Invitation

Etsy Paper:  Why do you do what you do?
Scrappy Seahorse:  Art has always been a huge part of who I am, but back in college I chose a career in nursing out of practicality. That job has been great and provided well over the years, but throughout my nursing career I have always pursued my art on the side. My favorite saying was always “I want to be an artist when I grow up.” So, with all of my milestones from this past year, I decided that this was a great time to work on my grown-up goal. The great thing is… now I can say…” Hi. I am Megan Cichorz, a wife, mother, homeschooler, and now owner/artist/designer at Scrappy Seahorse Designs.”

Megan sure does have a lot on her plate, so inspirational.  Her shop, www.etsy.com/shop/ScrappySeahorse, has the perfect mix of vintage-inspired, rustic, feminine, and modern.

Until next time,

Jenni

Etsy Paper Team, Captain