Friday's Featured Fabricator -- Amanda of Simply Rustic!

  This week's featured Moo Crew artist is Amanda of Simply Rustic.  Based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Amanda is a mom of four and crafts natural skin care products out of her home.  By way of introduction, Amanda says "I'm Amanda, Momma to four beautiful and busy kids ages 2-15 and wife to a fun and supportive husband. We live outside Rhinelander and love the area. I'm also the owner of Simply Rustic. I handcraft in my home 100% Natural Skin Care products using fair trade, wildcrafted, raw and organic ingredients."

I asked Amanda how she chose the name of her business.  "I knew I was going to stick to seven ingredients or less with my products and was going to use unrefined oils and butters. The word "natural" is used too much so my recipes are simple and with the help of theasurus.com, I found "rustic" to be a great word...so Simply Rustic it was."

Getting started making these natural products came out of a desire to live a "greener" lifestyle, as well as the realization of all the potentially harmful things in our environment.  "(Our family has) been discovering how to live more simply, naturally and environmentally friendly for about 10+ years now.  (We) started because we wanted to be more conscious of our environment and the need to protect it.  Just over three years ago our oldest daughter was diagnosed with a form of chronic leukemia…it was quite a scare, and one way of coping with all the unknowns was to research endlessly. It was through this that I realized how much our environment has been altered, and how much harmful stuff is out there that is almost impossible to avoid.  For my children, husband and myself, I started reducing as many of the harmful things we’re exposed to in our daily lives, as well as reducing our footprint on the world."

Through this awareness, Amanda had a desire to see what she could create on her own in a simple, natural, safe and eco-friendly way, and Simply Rustic was born.  "The body butters and lip balms became the starting point because that is what we use most in our home. With a family of six, buying natural and/or organic products can be expensive. After some time to experiment and perfect, I had something I enjoyed making and loved to use. Before long I was sharing with family and friends and the logical next step was to try and share it with others who might be searching for a simple, healthy and all natural product that is both affordable and easy on the environment."  Simply Rustic’s packaging is recyclable, even the labels are made from recycled material; most are 100%. "Today, my creative wandering has expanded, and now there are body scrubs and lip scrubs too…who knows where I’ll go from here.  (This is) my small bit of caring for my family and the environment. Oh, and my skin—it loves me for it!"

Amanda uses high quality fair trade, wildcrafted, raw and organic ingredients in her products.  "My recipe is simple, so you are receiving only these ingredients and not a bunch of fillers. I don't use water, so the products are concentrated and this allows me to not use any synthetic preservatives and other bad things found in skin care products.  My products are affordable compared to many others that are very similar."

Simply Rustic customers will receive products made with care.  "Everything I create and handcraft is made with love and much attention to make sure there is nothing harmful in my products for people of any age."

  

Creative time can be difficult to find when you are a mom of four.  I asked Amanda what she spends her time doing when she isn't creating.  "It's actually a little more like this...when I'm not playing and being busy with my kids, I create."

Amanda's background includes a bachelor degree inCriminal Justice.  "I love reading, learning and gardening. If money was not an issue, I would take college classes as often as I could."

I asked Amanda her opinion on what she thinks is the best part of being an artist.  "(I love) the flexibility, and learning new ideas all the time."

Simply Rustic products can be found on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplyrustic2011?ref=ss_profile, as well as at a coffee shop and health food store in the Rhinelander area, (Coffee Beans Etc. and The Country Seed), and at Maiden Wisconsin in Sparta.  Amanda also accepts orders via e-mail, and is working on a Simply Rustic web site.

Many thanks to Amanda of Simply Rustic!

Happy New Year! 2012's first Moo Crew featured artist is Sara of Twisted Planet! As usual, I asked Sarah to give us some background on herself...

"Hi I’m Sarah. We live in Blanchardville (yes it’s a real town, just outside of New Glarus). We actually have 3 shops. The main one (Twisted Planet) that sells crochet stuffed animals and upcycled jewelry. We also have TwistedPlanetApparel, which you guessed it, sells clothing: crocheted cold weather accessories and screen printed shirts. The other shops is TwistedPlanetBeads, which is where I sell off my extra paper beads that I've made and just haven’t found time to use yet."

The name of Sarah's trio of businesses is a collaboration. "It’s a mix of my husband and me. His whole mantra is Flat Planet and I wanted something with Twisted in it to reference both rolling of paper beads and crocheting. Thus the combination name was born."
Getting started on creating the items in the Twisted Planet line was "honestly...a fluke. I was on a business trip and stopped off to get a magazine and saw an article about making paper beads. They were doing them paper Mache style, boiling paper and glue and then rolling them into balls and painting them and it got me thinking about it. Some research and playing around later yielded our first paper beads."

Sarah's Twisted Planet beads stand out in the crowd because all of the paper used in the beads is recycled. "My husband works at a printing company and brings home their scraps that would otherwise just be thrown out. Most of the beads are unique as it is just leftover paper."

Sarah wants her customers to know that all of Twisted Planet's creations "come from our weird minds. Most of the stuff is OOAK (one of a kind) as I don’t work with patterns or anything. We also love to work with people to design something that helps them express themselves."

Sarah and her husband are brand new parents! "When I'm not creating, I'm hanging out with our new baby Vallyn. He’s 3 months old!" In "real life" Sarah is an apparel designer. "I also love dogs and not only have 2 of my own but foster dogs for local rescues."

I asked Sarah her opinion on what the best part o fbeing an artist might be. "Freedom to create whatever you want and experiment with new ideas. Yes there may be some failure, but it’s all a learning curve."

You can find Twisted Planet products on Etsy at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwistedPlanet?ref=ss_profile
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwistedPlanetBeads?ref=ss_profile

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwistedPlanetApparel?ref=ss_profile

Paper beads are available in the Madison area at Fat Cat Beads near East Towne Mall, and stuffed animals at Maiden Wisconsin near Fort McCoy. Twisted Planet will be appearing at selected art fairs this year as well!

Many thanks to Sarah for taking time for this feature interview!

This week's Featured Fabricator -- Quilts by Jess!

  This week's featured artist is Jessica of Quilts by Jess.  I asked Jessica to give us an introduction.


"I'm a Minnesota native, and after living in Chicago, Seattle, Raleigh and the Twin Cities, I recently settled in Madison, Wisconsin.  When I'm not creating my quilts, I'm busy doing my 'real' job as a patent attorney.  I also collect vintage Pyrex and Fiestaware dishes."


Jessica wanted a simple name for her quilt business, so she chose "Quilts by Jess".  "I may have erred on the side of too simple, but it works for me." 


Jess told me she learned to quilt as a graduate student.  "At the time, I really needed a creative outlet and way to unwind after a long day in the lab.  I bought a sewing machine and one of my friends taught me the basics.  The first quilt I made was intended to be a wedding gift.  It took me so long to finish it that it ended up being a gift for the couple's first child!"


Only 100% cotton fabrics and batting are used in Quilts by Jess products.  "I tend to use higher quality designer fabrics.  In my experience, items made with better materials look better, feel better, and last longer."


    

Jessica considers herself a "science geek with a creative streak."  "I try to combine the precision of quilting with the artistry of mixing colors and patterns.  When I do custom quilts, I spend a lot of time selecting fabrics and designs so that the finished product exceeds the client's expectations."  She says the best part of being an artist is the freedom to explore new techniques and designs.  


You can find Jessica's beautiful work on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltsByJess .  She has a Facebook page for her quilting work at www.facebook.com/quiltsbyjess.handmadewithstyle, and she writes about current projects, designer fabric, and sewing/crafting resources on her blog, www.quiltsbyjess.typepad.com.  Jessica gladly accepts custom orders--you can reach her via Etsy or her Facebook page.  


Thanks to Jessica, and Merry Christmas to all!!!

Friday's Featured Fabricators--KnotaGeek!

  This week we feature two artists under one roof.  Nicole and Erin are the team behind "KnotaGeek", an Etsy shop that features hand crocheted items.  

Nicole and Erin live in the southeastern part of Wisconsin.  By way of introduction, Nicole says "I live in teeny Burlington, WI.  I have a fabulous husband, two ridiculously awesome daughters, and probably the cutest cat ever.  When I'm not crocheting, I work part time at a state housing facility for individuals with developmental disabilities and medical issues, psychiatric complications, or a combination of the three.  I make my portion of the KnotaGeek product right out of my house at any spare moment I can get!  Pretty much any moment I have where I can sit (or stand!) still for a few seconds, I'm crocheting.  I learned to bring my projects along with me in the car so I can work on them during the few minutes I have while waiting to get my oldest daughter from school, or during my lunch break at work.  It's hectic, but never boring!!" 

Erin's turn for introductions:  "I live in Racine, WI, with my husband and four cats.  I work full time at a real estate appraisal office, but when I'm not working I'm crocheting!  I've got a great craft room with a TON of yard that is always inspiring me."

Coming up with the name for their business was a fun, creative process.  "We had settled on one name, and got totally excited about it--made a shop banner and everything for it...only to find out that it had already been taken by another seller.  Eventually, we came to the fun word play "KnotaGeek," and totally loved it.  Frankly, it's perfectly fine the first name was taken!  KnotaGeek has really been a great name for our shop--it's so fun to see people at craft shows mouth it to themselves, then smile or laugh."

The items the KnotaGeek team creates began out of practicality.  "Being in Wisconsin, we all need some good cold weather accessories!  So it was pretty natural to start making hats, cowls, scarves, etc.  Our items pretty much go along with our individual style and taste.  That's one of the fun things about being a partnership."

I asked both members of the KnotaGeek team what prompted them to make their first item.  Nicole told me, "I've been crocheting since I was a young girl.  I started doing it a lot more once I had kids, since I loved to make fun little things for them.  I was pretty proud of a few of them, and created a Facebook album to show them off in.  Then I noticed that Erin was doing the same thing!  One of us half-jokingly said to the other that we should work together on an Etsy shop, and the idea totally took off from there.  Coming up with what to make for our shop after that wasn't too hard--it was an opportunity to make all the things I loved but didn't have enough people to give them to!  However, it is fun to look back at the first few sales in our shop--I feel our product has come a long way and has evolved for the better."  Erin says, "I've also been crocheting since I was young.  I made baby items, blankets, and eventually hats.  Requests from friends and family started to come in, and the rest is history!"

Erin has been a vegetarian for 10 years, and vegan for four, so KnotaGeek products are made with no animal fibers.  However, you will find much more than basic acrylic yarn in their shop.  "We love to use soft cotton blends, organics, and bamboos, and we are always in search of cool new fibers!"

The KnotaGeek team stresses to their customers that their items are vegan-friendly, meaning they contain no animal fibers or ingredients (also meaning they are much easier to wash!).  "We hand-make every single item, and pay close attention to detail.  We care deeply about the quality and integrity of our product.  We truly want our clientele to get the most out of what they buy, and to be totally and completely in love with their purchase!!"

   

When they aren't creating, Nicole says "(I'm) chasing around, dancing and singing with, or embarrassing my two daughters, tee hee!"  And Erin?  "(I'm) working.  Can't wait to quit my day job!"

Outside of her Etsy persona, Nicole calls herself a nerd!  "Like, a true bona fide nerd.  While some may consider crocheting and knitting nerdy, I'm also totally into comic books and fantasy and anime.  I'm a gamer and a huuuuuge lover of astronomy.  I LOVE math and physics, although I'm not particularly good at either of them.  I watch documentaries probably more than anything else.  I could live at the library if given the chance..."  For Erin's part:  "I love tattoos and I have a bunch, including a crafty sleeve with yarn and a sewing machine.  I love to cook and my husband and I have recently started making soap.  It's super fun!"

I asked both ladies what is, in their opinion, the best part of being an artist.  Nicole:  "I love the creation process.  Whether it's coming up with the initial idea or seeing a product come to life as you make it, it's just an awe4some thing to be involved with."  Erin:  "The best part is being able to do something you love, and have people respond to it.  Whether it's at a craft show or online, it's fun when someone loves your product and appreciates the work you put into it."

KnotaGeek products can be found at local art fairs, and at http://www.etsy.com/shop/KnotaGeek?ref=pr_shop_more

Thanks to Nicole and Erin of KnotaGeek!

Friday's Featured Fabricator - Pinata Paradise!

This week, the featured Moo Crew artist is Gail of Pinata Paradise.  Gail is an "empty nester" who lives in Green Bay, WI, with her two wonderful dogs.  She has been designing and creating pinatas for nearly 20 years, and has recently joined Etsy in the hopes of growing her business.

Gail's studio is in a room in her home that is devoted strictly to pinata making.  Gail says "Yes, it does have a tendency to become somewhat messy, with all the glue, newspaper, finished molds, projects in the works, etc. etc."  Her motto is "It's not a party without a pinata!"

Pinata Paradise began when Gail started making pinatas for her children when they were both in grade school.  "It grew from that point to my children's classmates, teachers, neighbors, and on and on.  I love making pinatas.  Each one is so different and I enjoy being able to be a part of a child's celebration by making a pinata that fits the them of their party."

Pinatas aren't just for kids!  "Many of my customers are not children, but just "children at heart", so whether I'm making a company logo pinata, one for a birthday, shower or really any celebration, I'm doing what I love!!"

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I asked Gail what she thinks is the best part of being an artist.  "The best part of my business is being able to take an idea and run with it, matching a pinata with the person and the theme of the party."

Gail's colorful pinatas can be found on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/people/PinataParadise .  She also has her own web site, http://www.pinataparadise.org/

Many thanks and good luck to Gail of Pinata Paradise!