VasariahCreations

Member Spot Light, VasariahCreations

This month I wanted to change focus to a paper shop that some might see as unexpected.  You may even be amazing at the fact that these items are made of paper.

Let me introduce you to Ombretta from VasariahCreations

Brooch

Etsy Paper: Tell us a little about yourself.
Ombretta: My name is Ombretta, I am 30 years old and I was born in Italy but I have been living in France for 2 years with my boyfriend and my dog. I am an illustrator specialized in school books. I like very much drawing and playing with paper.

Etsy Paper: When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Ombretta: I opened my Etsy shop in May 2013.

Etsy Paper: Tell us about your shop.
Ombretta: In my shop you can find many items realized with paper, handpainted cold porcelain, wood and sea stones; they all are totally handmade. There are mostly jewels, but I’m working for adding home decorations, like the 3D origami paper owl you can already find in the shop, and DIY-tutorials (like how to make round paper beads).
www.etsy.com/shop/VasariahCreations

 Dangle Earrings

Etsy Paper: Do you remember the first item you made, and if so, do you still have it?
Ombretta: I do remember the first item I made.  It was a beautiful triangular stone found on the beach. I decided to drill and paint it for making a pendant. It was only a try and the result was so bad, but I really liked the idea and so I went on working on it. After 2 years I was willing to improve my art with paper jewelry.

Etsy Paper: Why did you decide to become on Etsy seller?
Ombretta: The great opportunity Etsy gives me is to share my art with people of all over the world. I can show my items, get comments, suggestions and critics and I can do this using a well-made platform.

Etsy Paper: What is your favorite technique/ your "specialty"?
Ombretta: My favourite technique is recycling paper to re-create beautiful beads and jewelry : I think it’s a good way to make special something that -generally- is considered as not special. Then, each jewel is different from the others.

Beads

Etsy Paper: Who is your biggest fan?
Ombretta: I think my biggest fan is my mum.  When I create something bad, very bad, my mum says « Oh, it’s beautiful! »

Etsy Paper: Are you a clean or messy crafter?
Ombretta: I think art is freedom, so I want to be free when I test new ideas. That’s why I cannot say that I’m a 100% clean crafter. Anyway I am very accurate in my works.

Necklace

Etsy Paper: How do you package your items?
Ombretta: I make the packages one by one with recycled materials (i.e. cereal boxes…). Of course I try to make them as strong as possible for avoiding problems in shipping.

Etsy Paper: How did your shop get its name?
Ombretta: Vasariah is the name of the guardian angel for people born in August, the month I was born. I think it’s a lucky name and I am very attached to it.

I'd have to agree with Ombretta's mum, "Oh, it's beautiful!"  What an amazing, talented artist.  Please take a minute to browse her shop.  What a unique gift!
www.etsy.com/shop/VasariahCreations

Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper
Team Captain

StravaganzaArt

Member Spot Light, StravaganzaArt

Let me introduce you to Valentina from StravaganzaArt!

Jayne Eyre Print

Valentina had some great responses to the interview questions, and was pleasant in her conversation.

Etsy Paper:  Tell us a little about yourself.
Valentina:  Hi! My name is Valentina, I’m Italian and I live in Rome with my husband and my (criminal) cat. I’m an illustrator and a writer. Drawing and writing are my jobs, but also my greatest passion.

Cat Print

 

Etsy Paper:  When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Valentina:  I opened my shop for the first time in 2010, it was only an experiment, and then I forgot it for three long years. When I remembered I had a shop on Etsy, I opened it on January 2013.

Etsy Paper:  Tell us about your shop.
Valentina:  I sell prints of my digital and original artwork, handpainted notebooks, original paintings and more! Find my shop here:
www.etsy.com/it/shop/StravaganzaArt

Etsy Paper:  What inspires you?
Valentina:  For me, inspiration is hiding everywhere. It’s in my favorite books, movies, or in old fairy tales. It's in the landscapes of my country, in the food I eat or in the music I listen to.

Etsy Paper:  Do you have a favorite quote to share?
Valentina:  Follow your dreams. They know the way. 

Handpainted Notebook

Etsy Paper:  When your creativity gets blocked/clogged, what do you do or where do you go to get inspired and create again?
Valentina:  In my job, creative blocks are frequent. When it happens, I can’t sit down at my desk, waiting for the inspiration. I need to go out, see my friends, or have a cup of tea, reading a book. My grandma said “If you wait for something, it never happens”, and I think it’s real. So if inspiration doesn’t come, I never wait for it, I do other things.

Doll Print

 

Etsy Paper:  What is it about paper that you love?
Valentina:  I use paper for writing and for drawing, so for me, paper it’s a blank universe. I can imagine everything and create a new world, just with my pencil, acrylics colors or software! 

Postcard Set

Etsy Paper:  What was your biggest mistake you made when starting out on Etsy? How did you fix it?
Valentina:  I thought selling on Etsy was easy. Listing an item and waiting for buyers. Then I realized that selling on Etsy is really complicated, (and selling from Italy it’s almost impossible). You need to follow your activity on Etsy everyday, make treasuries, join the teams, learn from other shops. Luckily, the Etsy community is full of people who want to help new sellers with their experience. There is a great sense of community and I absolutely love this.

I love how Valentina's answers are from the heart and really show just how whimsical and creative she is.  Her shop has a great variety of cute, sweet, inspiration, and even some items on the darker side.  I love that!
Take a few minutes and browse her buy from her shop, StravaganzaArt.

Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper Team, Captain

SproutLuv

Member Spot Light, SproutLuv

Let me introduce you to Jennifer from SproutLuv!

Personalized Stationery Set

Jennifer was so kind to take some time out of her busy schedule for an interview with me.  
This is what she said.

Etsy Paper:   Tell us a little about yourself.
Jennifer:  My name is Jennifer Rodriguez and I grew up and live in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia - where it really isn't nearly as rainy as they say or X-Files made it look!

Etsy Paper:  When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Jennifer:  I opened up SproutLuv near the end of January 2013 and am very excited about my 1 year anniversary which is coming up right around the corner.

Etsy Paper:  Tell us about your shop.
Jennifer:  SproutLuv is all about handcrafted paper goods, with a focus on custom stationery. What can I say? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I just love giving and receiving handwritten notes so the cards, jotters and notebooks I design and make are really just a natural extension of what I love.

I'd been giving them away to friends and family and after much coaxing, the people I love convinced me to try my hand at selling the pieces online. 
You can find me here:
www.etsy.com/ca/shop/SproutLuv 
or on my site at sproutluv.com/ 
or on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Sprout-Luv/397791826980559

Thank You Cards

Etsy Paper:  How did your shop get its name?
Jennifer:  The "l-u-v" in SproutLuv represents a time in my life when, as a young teen, I could be creative without being overly critical. When all of my ubiquitous little handmade gifts and notes were unabashedly signed off with “luv, jen.”

I think all of us have at some point in time, given or received a handwritten note signed off with “luv." Some were three sentences and others spanned messy pages. Some were silly and some were surprisingly reverent. Others arrived in the mail from loved ones far away. I have a shoe box full of these notes which will always be keepsakes. The name of my shop is a reflection of that.

Etsy Paper:  What inspires you?
Jennifer:  This may seem a little strange for stationery, but my favorite designs have actually been inspired by items in my closet that I just love.

One of my all-time favorite prints was inspired by a now worn-to-death set of tights that were my go-to pair come fall and winter. I have since had to retire them, but they served me long and well and at least I have a design to commemorate them! I also literally own 11 items of striped clothing (not counting 2 pairs of striped flats I picked up in the summer) so of course stripes are featured as a design. I mean, I even created lace typography... Me? Over-coordinated? Er. Well. Sometimes.

Personalized Cards

Etsy Paper:  What is it about paper that draws you to create with it?
Jennifer:  My fanaticism for handwritten notes (the "NOTED!" section of my website is devoted to them) coupled with the fact that I'm just a VERY tactile person who loves the feel of good paper makes it my medium of choice.

How my notebooks and stationery feel in your hands and against your pen is just as important to me as how they look. For example, I only use 70lb paper in my notebooks and jotters. If you're not a paper geek like me, that's over double the weight of your typical printer paper! My cards are made from a dense and luxuriously textured art board stock I can't seem to run my fingers over enough! And I actually spent over 6 months testing three different cover stocks before I went with the kraft version I use for my notebooks and jotters. I ended up choosing the kraft board I use now because I just fell in love with how the covers wore into this soft, almost velvet-like texture after a while, but still remained sturdy and retained its heft.

Like I said, I'm a sucker for how paper feels and you'll notice that with all of my handcrafted goodies.

Etsy Paper:  What has been your favorite comment from purchasers about your product?
Jennifer:  Great reviews truly make my day and anything referring to my customer service and the quality of my goods always makes me happy. I think my very favorite reaction from a client receiving my goods came from a lovely woman who took the time to email me as soon as her notebooks arrived. She couldn't wait to tell me that she was both extremely happy with the books AND extremely UPSET that the new Etsy feedback system wouldn't let her leave a review for her purchases yet! She said she would have to wait a week, but that she'd mark the date in her calendar so she didn't forget.

Of course, I didn't expect to get the feedback on my shop because it was the holidays and people are so very busy, so after I emailed her back thanking her for the glowing email, I forgot about it. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise and delight when exactly a week later, on the date she mentioned, I got one of the best reviews my shop has seen!

Personalized Notebooks

Etsy Paper:  Who is your biggest fan?
Jennifer:  That has to be my lovely mother. Or wait. My 16 month old nephew? Actually, I think they may equally love my goodies, though for different reasons: my mom loves my design tastes and my nephew loves the taste of my papers!

I can really relate to many of those answers, and I'm sure most paper-lovers can too.  
Such a beautiful shop.  Be sure to take a peek at SproutLuv.
You'll be amazed at all the wonderful options she offers.

Happy New Year from Etsy Paper!

Until next time,  
Jenni  
Etsy Paper Team, Captain
 

JoeyDesign

Member Spot Light, JoeyDesign

Let me introduce you to Danielle from JoeyDesign!

Greeting Card

I had a chance to interview Danielle, this is what she had to say.

Etsy Paper:  Tell us a little about yourself.
Danielle:  I live with my husband Andrew and one year old daughter, Airlie right near the beach on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Being close to the beach is important to me for walks, and inspiration. I live in the same house I grew up in as a child, but built an extra level on the house for a bit more space... so this house is very sentimental to me.
Etsy Paper:  When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Danielle:  I opened my shop in 2010 and started off with just a few cards. There was no sales until I made and listed the first of my cute sticker packs, and my very first customer came along and bought some... this was a very exciting time for me, and this interview is quite special because the lovely writer was my first customer!
Etsy Paper:  Tell us about your shop.
Danielle:  So I sell cards, stickers, gift tags, coloring books all illustrated and printed by me... and very soon I will be adding an invitation and party goods range. Here is my shop and facebook:

www.joeydesign.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Joey-Design-Illustrations/192846857397392 (to keep updated with markets, secret sales and new products)

                                                                      Birthday Stickers

Etsy Paper:  How did your shop get its name?
Danielle:  My brand is my shop name. The name 'joey' was my nickname while studying at University. We used to sit around on the grass between classes and eat lunch with the kangaroos (literally!). After spotting a baby kangaroo one day, my friend told me it looked like me, and the name stuck ever since.
Etsy Paper:  How much "technology" do you use in your works?
Danielle:  I'm a bit too reliant on technolgy! I use my PC (or laptop as a back up), a Wacom pen and tablet, a scanner, an inkjet AND a laser printer, Paintshop Pro and Publisher software and not to mention the magic internet... oh and a kettle... to make coffee to keep myself awake!
Etsy Paper:  Do you have a day job?  If so, are you up all night crafting?
Danielle:  Yes, apart from being a full time mum, I work part time at an aquarium as an Education Coordinator. My job is all about teaching marine conservation to younger generations! Airlie keeps me busy for the rest of the time and once she goes to bed, I work on my Etsy shop or getting products ready to go to the markets. I manage to get to bed by 11pm and start again at 6am the next day!

                                                                             Gift Tags

Etsy Paper:  Where do you feel at peace, free from all the pressure of family and work?
Danielle:  One word... Thailand. I try to get there every year to soak up some rays on an island somewhere or sip on a cocktail or two. While on holidays I get so much new inspiration - it's like I soak it up from the sun!


Etsy Paper:  What is it about paper that you love?
Danielle:  I love the fact that paper is a clean white surface when you first get it. I love the brightest whitest paper that smells like a mill when you first open it. I loved to draw when I was very little and mum and dad couldn't afford to buy me white copy paper all the time as it was so expensive. I used to find blank notepaper to draw on and one time I even found some paper that had blown away from somewhere and drew all over that!

Coloring Book

Etsy Paper:  How did you learn your craft?
Danielle:  My illustrations are all self-taught! I never went to graphic design school - I just started drawing from a very young age. When I was given Paintshop Pro, I bloomed and started creating my illustration folio. My husband surprised me with a brand-new Wacom tablet and pen and I have never looked back... it is so much easier drawing with a pen than a mouse! To this day, I am still learning new techniques!


This shop is amazingly cute, original, and makes deciding on one item very difficult.  Take a look around, I know you will enjoy the designs as much as I do.

Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper Team, Captain

MaxAndMila

Let me introduce you to Amanda from MaxandMila

Real Men Eat Cupcakes

I had a chance to interview Amanda, this is what she had to say.

Etsy Paper:   Tell us a little about yourself. 
Amanda:  My name is Amanda, and I am a wife of 2 years and a mom of a 16 month old, Mila. When Mila was born, my husband and I began exploring avenues that would allow me to stay home with her. With a background in web and traditional media graphics design, I was fortunate to find a couple of steady positions that I could do at home after Mila had gone to bed. Since my professional work day begins at 8pm, I pay the price of sleep to stay at home with my precious baby everyday... and it is well worth it. I hope that one day I can expand my Etsy shop and generate enough revenue that it can be my primary professional focus.  My husband and I are expecting our next child in February. We are keeping gender a surprise until the birth, but if we have a boy, we will have the Max for our Mila. We live in Birmingham, Alabama.

Etsy Paper:  When did you open your shop on Etsy?  

Amanda:  Max and Mila opened in August of 2012, so we have been in business for a little over a year!

Etsy Paper:  Tell us about your shop.

Amanda:  Max and Mila has an indie/natural/simplistic vibe, and I sell wedding invitations, save-the-date cards, children's birthday invitations, party packages, posters and shower invitations. Most of my products are customized digital files, but I am in the process of transitioning into a finished-product based shop. In the near future, we will be focused on selling complete wedding and invitation sets.  

Wedding Invitations

Etsy Paper:  What inspires you? 
Amanda:  I'm primarily inspired by nature and vintage design. I like to keep it simple and clean.

Floral Baby Shower Invitation

Etsy Paper:  What is your favorite technique/your "specialty"?

Amanda:  My specialty is wedding invitation design, and you'll be able to see more of that in the updates to come. I love being a part of someone's special day, and I know that invitations and print materials can play a huge role in setting the tone for a wedding or event.

Etsy Paper:  When you look at some of the first projects you made, do you want to tear them up and start over?

Amanda:  Absolutely! This is one of the major struggles in building Max and Mila into a more robust shop. Every month or so, I look back over my designs and want to take most of them down and start over!
 

Etsy Paper:  What software do you use? 
Amanda:  I use Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator CS6.

Birthday Invitation

 

Etsy Paper:  What type of work space do you have? Did you have to clear away something in your home to find the space?

Amanda:  I work from the couch or kitchen table. Granted, I can only stay in the same position for a short period of time. I'll be standing behind my couch with my laptop propped on top, then I'll be propping my feet up kicked back on the sofa, and then I'll be sitting perfectly straight on the edge of my dining room chair... all in a matter of thirty minutes. 

What a great shop!  Please take a peek at all Amanda's items.  She has some great things to offer.  

Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper Team, Captain