Meet Etsy Felter: dolittledesign

OK - I admit it - I have a thing for fortune cookies lately, but when you see this next find, you'll understand why...

The felter and toy maker behind dolittledesign is a graphic designer and busy mother of two, ages 5 and 2. "I started making playthings for my kids when I couldn't find what I like," she explains of her creative toys. She has an affinity for food, wine, and traveling - and not surprisingly they are often sources of inspiration as with her whimsical fortune cookie and egg roll pieces. She spends a lot of time playing with her kids, so story books have also been known to influence her work. "I am glad to have found Etsy as my creative outlet," she admits. "Through Etsy, I found so many talented artists from all over the world." The flexibility fits perfectly with motherhood, too. "I can work on my projects a little at a time," she says. And the best part? "Receiving feedback from people who say they enjoy my creations is the best reward!" Please check out her shop: http://dolittledesign.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

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/

Meet Etsy Needle Felter: woolbywillow

Willow admits that, like me, she has "always been a craft geek." She began knitting in elementary school and it has been an all-consuming passion ever since. "Blame it on my hippie parents, but I'm a snob when it comes to fibers," she jokes. No synthetics - only all natural organic materials. She picked up needle felting while attending a class with her son at the Nelson Waldorf School. "Together we made our funny little dragon and I was immediately hooked." Ever since that day she has been obsessively felting, creating her fun sushi pieces. Please check out her shop: http://woolbywillow.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: Fioretta

Isabel, the young talent behind Fioretta, earned her BFA in Graphic Design and has an "affinity for all things creative." Her husband, who is also a designer, shares her creative passion - and just recently opened his own Etsy shop. "Nature is a major source of inspiration," she explains, whether it's the subject matter or the colors and textures she uses. "Lately I find myself thinking a lot about what other little creatures I could personify and give life to with my work." Her style tends to be just as varied, depending on the project. "Different styles show up with the different types of work that I do. When I'm working with paper or designing, I find that my style gravitates towards clean, sophisticated, and elegant themes; it's a little more subdued. My felt ornaments are a little bit brighter and bolder - they have more of a cutesy, sweet feel to them."

A lifelong artists, she jokes that she's been creating since she "could hold a pencil to paper - or maybe a crayon to a wall, to hear the stories (her) parents have told. It helps that I grew up in an environment that fostered my creativity. My artistic endeavors were always supported." Right now her art is not a full time job, but it still plays an important role in her life. "I put a lot of time, effort, creativity, and energy into - and I love doing it," she admits. Her only goals are for "people to be happy with what they purchase" and to pursue her passions, "especially if other people around me find enjoyment in it too." Please check out her shop: http://fioretta.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Felter & Artist: AmeliaMakesArt

There is so much talent and creativity on Etsy that you can't help but stumble around the site and find something truly amazing and unique. That's how I ran across AmeliaMakesArt. I was searching for custom portraits to see if I could make a go of it myself and saw her listings for felted likenesses of pets. I have to admit that when I saw the pictures I thought they were real dog sand clicked on the link wanting to see what the felted version would look like. I searched her shop high and low for about fifteen minutes, disappointed that she didn't have any pictures of her work. And then it hit me - what I was looking at WERE the pictures. The dogs I saw weren't the real models, but her expertly crafted likenesses. WOW! I was truly blown away.

Amelia lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, who is also an artist, and their dogs Hazel and Oscar. Believe it or not she has only been felting animals for a year. She learned her craft from her best friend in college, who spent time in Iceland after they graduated and learned felting from his roommate. "I visited him in Iceland where the wool is abundant and the felt work is not only everywhere, but incredibly modern and progressive...I consider what I do now a combination of my deep love for dogs and my drive for making things. I am so fulfilled when I bring joy to someone with my likeness of heir dog or cat. I have quite a collection of photos of animals with their likenesses that people send to me. It is a fovorite aspect of my job and I post them on my blog (http://www.ameliamakesart.typepad.com/). About 30% of my work is memorial pieces of people's pets who have passed on and it brings so much joy to give them a physical memory to have and hold." She finds needle felting similar to sculpting. "The form is built with wool fiber piece by piece, using a special barbed needle to mold the fibers together," she explains. "It is a tedious process but the results are well worth it." Aside from her astoundingly lifelike recreations of dogs and cats Amelia is also a talented painter. Please check out her shop: http://ameliamakesart.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/