Artist Feature: Ksewingbasket

Kelly's Sewing Basket

I met Kelly a while back and she admitted to me that she is a "fabric addict".  I can't blame her though, since she creates such beautiful items!  And of course her destash on Etsy is to die for!!


Once upon a time.... "it started with a dozen table runners I made and brought with me to sell at a show with a good friend of mine in 2000. They were a hit. The following two years I sold over a hundred table runners and baby items at shows. Then I branched out into aprons."  Now, Kelly has over 840 sales and climbing!

She first learned to knit from her mother and to crochet, and even indulged her sister in some macrame projects!  Then she moved on to fabric, fabric, and fabric.  Fabric, as you may have guessed, is Kelly's favorite craft medium.  Especially Christmas fabric!  She plans ahead for each season, starting her holiday items over the summer months. 

Though fabric has brought her great success, Kelly is dabbling in other crafts as well such as jewelry and cards! 

When I asked Kelly how she came to find Etsy, she said, "I found Etsy through a fellow local farmer's market vendor.   She told me to check out 'Etsy'.  I had to ask her 3 times what the name was!  That was in the summer of 2007."  Since her shop is so successful, she regrets "looking into it" so much and deciding not to open a shop until 6 months later!  Before that, she tried Ebay, which she said was "was not working for my handmade!"  You have to have a shop in a community that appreciates handmade, as Etsy does.

Kelly is from Michigan, in the Ann-Arbor area.  She is highly-skilled as sewing, as I know from the wallet I purchased from her.  She is a great friend to have and promotes others as she would herself.  Maybe even more so!  Her favorite item to make changes weekly, so you should frequently check her shop for new items and great destash items!

Please take a gander at Kelly's profile and shop:  you WON'T be disappointed!

Kelly's Sewing Basket

Her Profile:
http://www.etsy.com/people/ksewingbasket?ref=ls_profile

Her Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ksewingbasket?ref=pr_shop_more

Artist Feature: CraftsFromDWolfeLair

I wanted to feature a great artist from our NNNTeam on our blog.  She is not only a great Etsy shop owner, but also a fabulous team member:  she consistently participates in all aspects of our team and always speaks to people with a positive attitude and great team spirit. 

Of course, the artist I am writing about is none-other than Debbie Wolfe from CraftsFromDWolfeLair.  Debbie lives in Escondido, CA with her 2 "Cockapoos" Wiley and Scruffy.  She is also engaged to be married (for 14 years and counting!). 

Debbie said, "For me sewing is fun. It is what I do to relax after work. Anytime I can spend up to 8 hours in my craft room is a fun day."  She also likes to spend time playing games on pogo.com, but then again, who doesn't? 

When asked how she came to join Etsy, she said that she, her sister, and some of her friends did a Christmas Boutique Sale at her sister's house in December of 2009.  "One of the ladies that was shopping there told me about Etsy and said I should open a shop. She thought there would be a market for my items there. I wasn't sure at first because I felt my items needed to be seen in person, but in May 2010 I decided to give Etsy a try. I didn't have many sales the first year, but as I learned more about marketing and networking, my sales have picked up."

She also said that Etsy has connected her to wonderful other artisans.  "I've made some great friends here and it's nice to talk to people who have the same interests and are always willing to help when I have questions."

Her favorite creation is her "Quiet Books".  She has been selling these quiet books at San Diego craft fairs for over 25 years and it is one of her best sellers.  These are now a Blue Ribbon Winner at the San Diego County Fair.  Her "Quiet Books" contain over a dozen different activities that teach children fundamental skills such as tying shoelaces, buttoning, using zippers, matching colors and shapes, counting, etc.

"I love the fact that they are fun to play with and are eduational too", she said.

Debbie plans on doing Tierrafest in May and hopefully the Rancho Bernardo Winery craft show in May as well.  She stated that she seems to sell more at fall and winter shows (Christmas shopping!).  Along with those shows, her goal for this year on Etsy is to double her sales from last year.  Debbie has a great sense of ambition!

You can find Debbie's bright and beautiful Etsy shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftsFromDWolfeLair

Also, check out her profile to read more:

http://www.etsy.com/people/dwolfe103