Meet Etsy Artists: OtterandtheBee

Ryan Lemar and Erica Vess are the talented - and soon to be married - couple known as the Otter and the Bee. "He's the otter, I'm the bee," Erica says. "I am so dull," she jokes, "really, mind-numbingly, 1950's dull." They enjoy watching old, bad movies, making fun of their cats, and "poking lumps of felt into weird creations - that is our idea of an exciting Friday night." Ryan is a huge inspiration to Erica. "He's waaay more creative than me, it just happens to manifest itself in different ways, like cooking a fantastic meal or making a really weird felt creature that I could have never thought of in a million years." The Richmond Craft Mafia is another source of inspiration for her ( http://richmondcraftmafia.com/). "These ladies are my sisters in craft and they are all so good at what they do. Man, it really makes me want to be a better seamstress, that's for sure." She is also a fan of fellow Etsian Kit Lane. ( http://kitlane.etsy.com/). "Her stuff is so cool! She can hardly keep it in her shop it sells so well!" Like many of us, she is an Etsy addict and has nothing but praises for the handcrafted site. "I can't say enough how much I enjoy being part of Etsy and seeing all the amazing things that other people create. It keeps me on my toes," she admits. While she and her fiance share the Etsy shop as a side business, she also has her own website for her paintings, which is her main focus ( http://beeskneesstudio.etsy.com/). Her modern yet self-described whimsical style is showcased beautifully in her pieces, whether it be felted sushi or a painting. "I hate the word 'whimsical,'" she admits. "How about wacky. I am modern and wacky." Originally "Otter and the Bee evolved as a way for Ryan and I to pay for our felting habit and also to insure that we didn't have a house crammed full of weird felt animals we had made," she explains. Although they have been crafting and creating their whole lives, they've only been felting since December of 2007. "Have fun," she recommends. "Don't expect to make a lot of money right off the bat. Put some character in your listings and profile. Did I mention have fun?" Please check out their shop: http://otterandthebee.etsy.com/
-Wendy Baylis
Dharma Designs
http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/