Interview with Bonnita

It's that time of the week when I talk to another crafter, to find out a bit more about what's out there... This week I'm talking to Bonnita who has a number of shops on Folksy, including Momo made by Moaby, Jucimoon and It's all about the Graphics. So lets talk to this multi talented lady to find out a bit more...

If you were an animal, what would you be?

Any Bird of Prey!

Cadbury or Galaxy?

Galaxy all the way baby!

What film did you last see at the cinema and what did you think of it?

Erm.......Can't remember I rarely go

What is your favourite season?

Autumn, the colours are beautiful

And now about your work.

What’s the first thing you can remember making?

A crochet cupcake that went very wrong lol

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

Wool, u can do so much with it, knit, crochet, pom poms ect.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

Not really who as a person but a country, Japan and china has a huge influence on me I love their style of Amigurumi.

What’s your best crafty tip?

Enjoy yourself! And spray mount can make a fantastic temporary bond

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

I had so much fun making her, she is a lot bigger than picture makes out too.

Thanks Bonnita!

Interview with Lazy Daisy

First of all, a belated Happy Easter! I hope you've been thoroughly enjoying the bank holiday weekend! Due to the bank holiday I'm a bit delayed in putting up last weeks interview, but here we go... This week I'm talking to Kate from Lazy Daisy, a shop full of fantastic button and glass jewellery!

We would like to get to know a bit more about the person behind the craft.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

A cat, preferably a pampered one.

What is your favourite day of the week?

Friday, I only work half day and the whole weekend is still ahead.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what one thing would you want to have with you?

If I was sensible, a satellite phone, but in reality probably a craft kit!

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Emma Thompson. I would like to say someone more glamorous but fear I may be struck by a thunderbolt!

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I learnt to crochet at primary school and started making bead earrings at high school.

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

I love beads and buttons, especially buttons. I used to love emptying out my Grandmother’s button box and sorting through it, I love finding different and interesting buttons and get sadly excited by a new find!!

Where do you go for inspiration?

I always notice what people are wearing. My younger sister is a good source of inspiration as she likes things that are different and less run of the mill.

What’s your best crafty tip?

Try and source materials from the manufacturer.

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

It is usually whatever I last made but at the moment it is a button bracelet made of vintage buttons.

Thanks Kate!

Interview with Careford Creations

Interview time has come around again, and today I'm talking to Victoria from Careford Creations. Specialising in stunning photography, Victoria's shop also contains beautiful polymer clay creations. I'll leave Victoria to do most of the talking:

Tell us a bit more about the person behind the craft...

Well, my name’s Victoria, or Vic. I live with my husband and son and we have another baby due in April. I was working as a primary school teacher but stopped working last summer to be a full-time mum and spend more time on photography and crafty stuff.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

I’d love to know what’s at the bottom of the ocean, so maybe a really peculiar deep-sea creature!

What is your favourite season?

One thing I love about living in the UK are the seasons and I do like all of them for one reason or the other. Sorry, I really can’t choose!

If you were stuck on a desert island, what one thing would you want to have with you?

I could spend hours reading an atlas! Not necessarily to help me get off the island, but I just find them fascinating.

What’s your favourite colour?

Probably yellow.

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I’ve been taking photos since I got my first camera for my 9^th birthday. I decided to start selling about 10 years ago, although didn’t do a great deal about it for another few years. As for other crafty things, I’ve always loved making stuff, right from when I was very little.

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

I really love working with Fimo. There’s so much you can do with it. I love experimenting and even when something goes wrong, you often discover something you can use in some way.

Where do you go for inspiration?

Everywhere really! For photos, I may see something on TV or in a book, or just be out and about and the colours, shapes, textures will inspire me to set up a photo. For Fimo, food, animals, travel and fairytales inspire me. So as you see, a bit of everything!

What’s your best crafty tip?

Try out lots of crafts to find one you really enjoy and are good at. When it comes to selling however, I think it’s probably best to stick to one thing...

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

I really like this handbound notebook, with a photo of a pink rose on the cover:

Thanks Victoria!

Interview with Midsummer Stitches

Fabric craft this week, and for that we're heading to Midsummer Stitches. Staying true to its name, this shop is full of bright, happy and summery products; pinks, yellows, blues and greens all help to lift your mood and make you feel just a little bit happier for visiting.

Let's have a chat with Julia, the creative mind behind the shop...

If you were an animal, what would you be?

A cat, sleeping in the sunshine on my favourite cushion!

What is your favourite season?

Spring: weather changing, fresh smells and the promise of the summer ahead.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what one thing would you want to have with you?

My partner and two girls, home is where they are....

What’s your favourite colour?

Hmmm, pink no red no both! Can I have both?

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

Making everything as a child with glue cardboard etc (I must have drivin my parents crazy).

Then onto making my own clothes at about 13, feeling the need to stand out (I am sure I did).

Full time student at 25 studying design, soft furnishings and upholstery for three years with two toddlers(interesting).

Taught this for five years, then decided to go it alone I now have a great business making handsewn curtains and creative textile gifts I work full time and I love my job! This morning I have delivered an antique clown costume to a client, posted a vintage fabric cupcake and am about to start a lovely set of velvet Roman blinds for a different client....perfect.

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

I think it has to be silk, from a corsage to a huge pair of curtains it looks and feels wonderful, its crisp texture and range of colours is unbeatable

Where do you go for inspiration?

Well, some days a blowy walk with the dogs can fire me up, tomorrow im off to London looking around the markets and the vibe of that is always good, but for me a lazy day wandering around Stratford is great sitting by the water....hmmm roll on sunshine?

What's your best crafty tip?
Take a notepad, Im always scribbling ideas, sometimes I find pictures I don’t even remember doing and you cant always find a napkin when you need one!

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

I think this decorative blooms bag

I love the colour combination and really enjoyed making it, im working on some more bags at the minute with a similar theme but a variety of colour and sizes...after all you can never have too many bags right?

Too right you can never have too many bags... :D Thanks Julia!

Interview with Sugar & Rhubarb

My interview for this week is with Gemma who runs a shop I just can't get enough of. Just when you think it's all calm and pretty textiles - door stops, tea cosies and brooches, WHAM! there is a ninja kitty! So here we go chatting to the owner of Sugar & Rhubarb.

If you were a colour, what would you be?

Pink with blue polka dots, I’d be lying to myself if I said something plain!

Cadbury or Galaxy?

Oooh this is hard.... Cadburys crème egg, but galaxy chocolate bar- one of those embarrassingly huge ones, that you should never eat alone, but you do.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what one thing would you want to have with you?

Yumyums... but only if I could take more than one – it would be too cruel if there was just one.

Who would you want to play you in the film of your life?

Obviously someone as stunning as myself... Scarlett Johanson might be a good match ;)

And now about your work.

What’s the first thing you can remember making?

It was a lavender bot... a little lavender filled sphere with a face on. I hadn’t mastered sewing very well and it was a bit wonky... slightly

embarrassing really. I made loads and tried to sell them at a vintage fair with my friend who was selling off most of her wardrobe. The price progressively went down from £3 to 90p during the day. It caught the eye of a few kiddies, so that was nice to see their little faces light up when they paid for one. It wasn’t really my target market but it gave me a warm glow nonetheless!

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

Any pretty cotton fabric. I love anything by Heather Ross, Kokka, Amy Butler, Liberty and Cath Kidston. I could spend hours in places like Ditto in Brighton just ooh-ing and ahh-ing at prints.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

My cat... no must be serious for these interviews ... think business head. People like Poppy Treffry and Anna from Widget the Sock Bunny – they show that your once small ideas can turn into a worldwide phenomenon,

What’s your best crafty tip?

Have faith in your skills and never price too low! It takes a lot to have confidence in yourself and your creations, and too many people suffer from self doubt and price too low. Woody had a wonderful blog entry on pricing your stuff so that you can make a profit, and it’s surprising how much better I feel about listing my items on folksy and etsy now that I know I’m making a small profit from each sale I make.

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

It has to be Ninja Kitty. He took a lot of failed attempts and learning to get where he is now. He’s even got his own blog which makes me giggle whenever I write entries – I am of the LolCatz generation and having his blog lets me write those silly thoughts I have about cats without looking too strange because I can say an inanimate object wrote them!!

Interview with Quite Contrary Crafts

This week's interview is with Mary from Quite Contrary Crafts. This is a really lovely shop full of beautiful cards, pictures and mugs at great prices. A fantastic place to go to get a card for that special person... (don't forget it's Mother's day on the 14th!)

Let's meet Mary...
If you were an animal, what would you be?

I’d like to say something cool and sleek like a fox, but in reality I’d probably be a slightly clumsy tootling-along-happily Wombat!

What is your favourite meal?

I seem to have an addiction to Thai Green Curry at the minute. Though I think my favourite all-time meal is my Mum/Dad’s Sunday Roast, it just can’t be beaten!

Hot weather or cold weather?

Cold weather – I love the layers and knitted accessories that come with it

What’s your favourite colour?

Turquoise

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I’ve always loved Art, completely absorbed into whatever I’m making at whatever time of night! It all started from creating things for friends’ and family’s Birthdays – after trying all sorts of things, when me, the craft knife and the card finally met it all seemed to fall together; my Parents loved their Christmas cards, then my friends did…and then I found Etsy and Folksy and Quite Contrary Crafts was born!

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

It’s obviously got to be card with me – I love how it can be transformed with just one tool and a few cutting strokes into something that’s more than just a ‘card’, the way the light reflects through my designs on those rare sunny days. There’s so much versatility with it too – my new Rose paper-cut designs are the start of a whole new exciting avenue to explore! However, it is also the vain in my life when one small wrong cut can bring everything tumbling down and I have to start again!

Is there anyone in your life who has particularly inspired you?

My Grandad, in the way that whatever happened in life he constantly had a grin on his face and a cheesy Cockney joke to share, even at 93, and always saw the best in life – it reminds me to keep my head up, even through the tough patches, as something good is worth waiting for!

What’s your best crafty tip?

As ‘classy’ as it sounds, wrapping a bit of sticky plaster around your scalpel handle can make it a lot more comfortable – my poor right hand kept getting various aching red bits in odd places until I discovered this!

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

It’s got to be one of my newest ideas, my ‘I love cake!’ card. It just makes me smile (possibly as I’m a bit of a cake-o-holic!) – I’m thinking of framing a couple of the ‘I love’ cards and putting them in my kitchen to make it all nice and cheery!

Interview with Odd Sox

Time for another Folksy interview, so who is my victim *ahem* shop owner today?

This week I am talking to Shaz, the brains behind OddSox. I love this shop, it's full of sock monkeys! And sock elephants, sock monsters, sock owls... and they're all so cute!

Before I go getting too carried away, I'll let Shaz speak for herself...
If you were an animal, what would you be?

Definitely a domestic cat (and yes I do have one). I love the way they expect to get their own way with everything – and then do. I regularly tell my cat I wish I was him – especially on a Monday morning!

What is your favourite meal?

I love Indian food - we do quite a lot of Indian cooking at home. Occasionally we’ll make a special effort and do homemade onion bhajis, red onion raita & lentil dhal to go with the main meal – gorgeous!

Hot weather or cold weather?

Hot – a bit of summer heat in the garden, perfect.

What’s your favourite colour?

The kind of turquoise the sea is on a Greek island.

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I’ve always been a dabbler in crafty stuff. My Mum & Gran did lots of knitting and dressmaking so there was always ‘making’ stuff around for me and my sis to mess about with. I remember being very impressed with the French Knitting woolly tails that appeared from our homemade wooden 4-nailed bobbins!

My Sock creatures started a few years ago after getting a fabulous book from my sister called 'Sock Monkeys'. It's crammed full of nutty monkey mugshots and gave me the sock creature bug. I then got a book called ‘Stupid Sock Creatures’ which is a brilliant place to start – it gives you all the basics to set your imagination running riot with your sock drawer! Since then I’ve discovered all kinds of other craft interests because I just can’t stay away from the craft sections in the library and bookshops!

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

I find making sock creatures is endlessly satisfying because I don’t use patterns. I normally take the sock straight to the sewing machine with an idea in my head, which means they’re all a little bit different. So the end result is always a surprise! But… I also love making Amigurumi creatures (Japanese style crochet) it’s relaxing to do and they are sooo cute!

Is there anyone in your life who has particularly inspired you?

If I could apply my My Mum’s determination to my life I think I’d get a lot more done!

What’s your best crafty tip?

Don’t throw anything away until you’ve answered ‘No’ to ‘Can I recycle that?’

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

It’s normally an Amigurumi creature, Clover is my current favourite – it’s always the sad ones I like the best!

Here are Shaz's other links:

Folksy shop http://www.oddsox.folksy.com

Blogsite http://thesockgarden.wordpress.com/

Twitter http://twitter.com/thesockgarden

Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddsoxuk/

Thanks Shaz! :)

Interview with Rose Lullaby Dolls

For my interview this week I'm talking to Robyn, who has a really unique range of products. Robyn's shop, Rose Lullaby Dolls, is stocked with lovely handmade dolls each with a their own name and a real character of their own. If dolls aren't your thing, then make sure you check out the beautiful cards also on offer.

Let's hear from Robyn:

If you were a flower, what would you be?

I’ve always loved daisies - I had them painted on my DM’s as a teenager and our wedding colours were white yellow and green like a daisy too. I love how clean and bright, but not garish they are.

What is your favourite meal?

Lasagne, preferably cooked by my mum.

Cadbury’s or Galaxy?

Cadbury’s every time, though these days I’m a bit addicted to my 85% cocoa dark choc...

What’s your favourite colour?

I think green, it can be deep and jewel coloured, or light and springy, its a versatile colour!

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I’m a set and costume designer for theatre who’s always loved puppets so I started making them for shows Then I started making them as art objects. Now they no longer have rods or strings but they are made in the same way as I make puppets.

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

Fabric. you can do anything with it, sew it, cover it in glue and sculpt it, weave it, shread it, paint it, dye it you name it I’ve done it!

When you need some inspiration, where do you go?

To the park.

What’s the first thing you remember making?

My mum was in charge of the arts and crafts at our playgroup so we usd to try out everything she’d devised first, lots of loo roll and sugar paper creations!

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

My custom puppet dolls, working from photographs I make people into dolls! It’s so much fun and always challenging, i love it!

Thank you Robyn!

Interview with Evie George

The time has come for another Folksy interview! This time I'm talking to Anna who is the creative genius behind the shop Evie George, a little haven of papercraft. In addition to running her Folksy shop, Anna is also the brains behind Folksy Weddings, a complete guide to where to find handmade items for your wedding!

We would like to get to know a bit more about the person behind Evie George.

If you were a flower, what would you be?

I’d probably be one of the little purple flowers on Lavender.

What is your favourite meal?

Beer Butt Chicken!! It’s so good- you put a delicious rub over the chicken then you put an open can of beer (or coke) up the chickens *ahem* butt and cook it standing up and it all the flavour steams the meat. I love comfort food and big English meals.

Cadbury’s or Galaxy?

Cadburys every time- I really hope Kraft don’t change the recipe!

What’s your favourite colour?

Blue

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I have always made all the cards I send and presents for friends and family, they kept telling me I should sell the things I make so I thought I’d give it a go!

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

I love paper. All types of paper- I love old books and the smell of brand new paper in it’s box. My favourite month always used to be September when you would get to buy new stationery ready for school- I still treat myself to a lovely new journal or notepad in September!

When you need some inspiration, where do you go?

I like to go to my local knitting shop- I can’t knit but they have a whole wall of ribbons and buttons and the ladies in there are so lovely!

I also find lots of inspiration on lots of blogs- there are so many creative people out there in blog-land.

What’s the first thing you remember making?

I vividly remember making daffodils out of egg cups at primary school and being covered in yellow poster paint. I am still a very messy maker!!!

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

My favourite items are my prayer frames. I sell lots of these in church shops and local cafes but they don’t sell so well on Folksy. I really enjoy making these.

Thanks Anna!

Interview with Silky Prudence

This week I've interviewed Sara, the brains and fingers behind Silky Prudence. This is a gorgeous shop, full of knitted items; ranging from evening shawls to cosy neckwarmers, you're sure to find something here.

Let's get started... we'd like to get to know a bit more about the person behind Silky Prudence.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

A bit unoriginal but I'd have to be a cat – I have two and would to swap lives with them for a day. I watch them when I'm working and they're either sleeping, eating or playing – three of my favourite things!

What is your favourite time of day?

Early mornings when no one else is around. I love getting up and standing at the back door with a mug of tea, listening to the birds singing and smelling the wafts of lavender coming from my little herb patch. It sets me up for a few hours designing and making before everyone else gets up to shatter my peace and quiet.

Cadbury’s or Galaxy?

Galaxy for me please!

What’s your favourite colour?

Green. Especially deep forest and emerald green.

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I come from a very crafty family; my mum is a whizz with a sewing machine and a pair of knitting needles so all my clothes were handmade, right down to my school uniform. She taught me to sew and bought me my own little Sindy dress-making patterns – I distinctly remember making a kimono for one of my Sindy's and being very pleased with myself! Her mum, my Mama, taught me to knit when I was 5 and I taught myself to crochet when I was at university and sat at the back of extremely dull English lectures.

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

Kid mohair-silk blend. It feels so ephemeral that it's like working with cobwebs and when I'm making a piece with it I can imagine its new owner feeling like a fairytale princess when she wears it.

When you need some inspiration, where do you go?

Into my garden to look at the different colours and textures of the plants and flowers - I love the way Nature doesn't care about colour coordination and just throws things together that look stunning. And I adore Haberdashers - there are three that I go to in London just to gaze upon the rows and rows of ribbons, buttons and pretty, pretty things; VV Rouloux, The Button Queen and Barnet Lawson. It makes me so happy!

What’s the first thing you remember making?

Apart from the Sindy kimono I think it was probably a very wonky dishcloth from the times spent sitting on Mama's knee as she taught me to knit. My first 'proper' thing was a Breton jumper when I was about 15 and it was huge!

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

It would have to be my lime Grace Scarf:

I love the combination of the soft fluffy mohair with the zingy lime colour.