12 Days Of Etsy: Andrea Kett

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born in Dublin,Ireland ,after leaving school I studied animation at Dun Laoighaire College of Art & Design (Dublin) for 3 years,I moved to the Uk a few years back to complete my studies at Bristol University.I currently live in Manchester where I work as a freelance illustrator & general collector of Vintage goodies.


2. How did you choose your shop name?

As much as I like a clever pun or a witty name I decided to stick with my own name (Andrea Kett) 


3. What do you enjoy drawing the most?

Probably glamorous ladies (i used to want to be a fashion designer when I was younger,so naturally I love drawing  outrageous outfits, and accessories)

4. What is the best seller in your shop?

Probably my paper doll books (Miss Marpole and Undead Threads especially),although I have been selling a lot of greetings cards this year too,I find that cards are something that people always need  ...(also anything with Marie Antoinette sells well)

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is 
    your work most popular?

I would say the vast majority of my customers are from the UK or the US.


6. What inspires you?

Lots of things inspire me from music to Vintage fashion (mainly 1920’s -1950s), a good film,especially ones with unusual costumes. John Waters films are a real favourites of mine (I love all the little details,even down to the clever names he gives his characters).I am partial to an ol’ browse around a charity shop too,(these are a great source for my other craze,collecting vintage cake decorating books) 

7. How long have you been an artist?


I don’t really remember a time when I wasn't drawing, but I suppose technically I've been working as a full time illustrator for about 12 years or so.



8. What are your other hobbies?

As I mentioned earlier,I like reading,watching films,general treasure hunting etc (nothing sporty I'm afraid)

9. Do you collect anything?

Yes definitely, my house is packed to the rafters with my collection of lovelies, Vintage tins,wooden peg dolls (Victorian ones),Worzel Gummidge memorabilia, jewellery, odd china, vintage cake decorating/kids party books, fancy stationary,figurines,seaside postcards... to name but a few.


10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the Snowman or the Worzel Gummidge Christmas special on TV (not to mention Muppets Christmas Carol & Elf) & no matter how old I get I must insist on a selection box too!!

11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?

My Fav Christmas song would be between the Pogues “fairytale of New York” & The Pretenders “2000 miles”
Favourite Christmas Carols :Good King Wenceslas & Hark the Herald angels sing

12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been 
      given?

I'm not sure about the funniest but certainly one of my favourites was a Barbie Mc Donalds 
(i remember my poor Dad spending the morning putting all the stickers on it ,I thought I would die from the excitement and I can still picture it as though it were yesterday....Happy days)


Many thanks to Andrea from Andrea Kett for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

12 Days Of Etsy: Water In My Paint

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I originally went to fashion school and started out life as a costume designer and pattern drafter. Some how through the years I ended up painting full time, not really sure how that happened but I couldn't be happier!


2. How did you choose your shop name? 

The truth is that I picked my shop name simply because it wasn't already taken! But I liked it and have used it ever since.

3. What is your favourite animal to paint?

I love love love to paint cats! It's their bright, big eyes that will pop out of a watercolour painting. I also love to paint squirrels because they live such mysterious lives. They always seem to be rushing off somewhere exciting. But really I just love to paint any animal with lovely eyes and an expressive face.

4. What is the best seller in your shop?

My dancing, tutu clad ballet birdies have always sold well. Squirrels are also big sellers, especially when they're holding coffee cups, wearing Viking helmets or French berets and moustaches.

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most 

Through my Etsy shop the vast majority of my work goes to the United States, followed by Canada and Australia. I've been working hard to promote myself locally here in Toronto as well.

6. What inspires you?

Animals!!! Surprising right? I've always had pets and used to support myself as a pet sitter and dog walker. I currently have 4 pets (though it used to be more!) so I'm always surrounded by animals and wouldn't have it any other way. Just like humans every animal I've ever meet has had it's own distinct personality. I find it amusing to imagine what an animal would be like as a human and that's what I paint.


7. How long have you been painting?

I didn't start to paint until I went to fashion school here in Toronto and had to take all kinds of illustration and art classes. Until then I really never drew at all which I find strange now considering that I make my living off of it. But once I started I never stopped. I've only been selling my work for 2 years now. 


8. What are your other hobbies?

I've studied ballet since I was 3 and still manage to drag my body to class twice a week (it's an addiction!) I love to make toys and t-shirts for my baby nephews and I also inhale books! Luckily there is a library just a block from home. Plus I love to walk the streets of my neighbourhood with my 2 dogs by my side.

9. Do you collect anything?

I collect cats I'm afraid! Some how i always seem to be adding more to the house. At the moment I have only 2 but I know it's just a matter of time before I find another one (or 2 or 3) in need.


10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Oh there are sooo many. I love hunting for the perfect Christmas tree, whether I'm searching at a tree farm or at the local tree lot. I actually love to wrap presents. The rest of my family hates it so they often have me wrap theirs as well. I also love, love Christmas music and try to catch at least one concert each year.

11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?

That's a tough one! I love the Canadian carol The Huron Carol, and the old Engilsh carols All Hail to the Days and the Coventry Carol.



12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?

I'm not sure about what I've received myself but I'm giving my one year old nephew his very own toilet brush this year. He LOVES toilet brushes!!


Many thanks to Deidre from Water In My Paint for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

12 Days Of Etsy: Boopsie Daisy

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Missy and I'm a happy-go-lucky misfit living in British Columbia Canada alongside my merry little family of 4.

2. How did you choose your shop name?

It's a play on the old phrase 'oopsy daisy' tied in with a tribute to the First Lady of Kitsch, Miss Betty Boop. As a youngster I got hooked on a VHS compilations of old black & white Betty Boop cartoons and a love of Betty's big eyed beauty and sweet persona have stayed with me ever since. 

My entire body of work is heavily influenced by cherubc dolls and charming toys from back when Betty first became a world sensation. I should also mention a nod to the stirring ee cummings poem 'a winter afternoon'. The last line of this poem in particular, "I thank heaven somebody's crazy enough to give me a daisy" encapsulates all that I aspire to put out into the ether with my wacky unsual images and whimsical dolls. 

3. What is your favourite item to make?

Print work is the most rewarding for me. When my daughter was born there was a particular type of decor I yearned to decorate her room with, but it just did not exist. I set about bringing the things I saw in my mind's eye to reality and it all took off from there. Being surrounded by a large arsenal of junk food and bright kooky play things all day tricks me into thinking I never grew up! :)

4. What is the best seller in your shop?

The dolls sell the quickest and I can't re-stock them fast enough. 'Oh Deer' and 'What the Frank' are the prints purchased most often. 

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most popular?

I'm sure there is more boopsiedaisy stuff in the United Kingdom than anywhere else on the planet. For whatever reason, my work really seems to resonate with the wonderful people there. 

6. What inspires you?

Big eyed dolls, colorful food and candy, words, dreams, fairytales, holidays, different eras of the past. 

7. How long have you been crafting?

Crafting is big in my clan. In the 80's we had a Saturday morning tradition of making breakfast people out of whatever was in the fridge & cupboards. There was always an abundance of crafting materials at the ready, handmade Christmas ornaments would be added each year to the tree, etc. My sister & I made our own 20 page magazine 'The Cheeseball Update' when we were pre-teens that always kept our friends & family in stitches. The women in our family all just seem to exit the womb with a pencil
or paint brush in hand. Crafting is in our very blood.

8. What are your other hobbies?

Thrifting almost daily, reading, writing, drawing, baking, collecting, and I can never watch enough horror.

9. Do you collect anything? 

Dolls, cameras, books, magazine clippings, Pez, vintage squeak toys and salt & pepper shakers, vintage Halloween & Christmas decorations, Snow White or Frankenstein related items. Things too numerous to mention. My husband likes to say I "collect collections".

10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?
Wearing pajamas all day while basking in the ambient light of the tree as carols play on the turn table and the kids try out their new toys.

11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?
I like the really fun ones like "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas' and 'Baby it's Cold Outside'. I feel like I instantly officially catch the Christmas spirit though when I hear 'O Holy Night' for the first time each December. 


12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?

When I visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York a couple years ago my Mum snapped a shot of me with my eyes closed dreamily, puckering up to Boris Karloff's 'The Monster' for a long deep kiss and for Christmas that year she presented me with a hard bound journal with that picture as it's cover. It always makes me snort so I suppose that is the funniest holiday gift I ever got.



Many thanks to Missy from Boopsie Daisy for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

12 Days Of Etsy: When Guinea Pigs Fly

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi there! My name is Lesley DeSantis and I'm the artist and everything-else behind the scenes at When Guinea Pigs Fly. I'm a bit of a Renaissance woman...not the kind that dresses up at Renaissance fairs (though that does sound kinda fun!), but meaning I do a whole bunch of different creative things and have a never-ending supply of curiosity for learning and mastering new things, which is great for being a creative entrepreneur! One day I can plan out marketing and sales, another I'm painting, and another I might be doing something totally non-When Guinea Pigs Fly-related. I live outside of Boston with my husband and pets and love the ocean, delicious gluten free cupcakes and...if you couldn't guess...guinea pigs!




2. How did you choose your shop name?

I knew I wanted my shop to have a whimsical flair, and when I first began creating artwork with the hope of opening an Etsy shop, I gravitated to guinea pigs immediately. One of the first paintings I made, before I opened shop, was a guinea pig superhero (seen here: www.etsy.com/listing/50705957/guinea-pig-superhero-print it's so funny to see how my style has evolved over time!). The thought of a flying guinea pig tickled me so much. I agonized over picking a name, but when I was talking it over with my mom one night, "when guinea pigs fly" stuck. It was exactly what I wanted -- suggesting a cute mental image with a clever play on words. Moms are good at helping with things like that. :)




3. What do you enjoy drawing the most?

I suppose you could call guinea pigs my muse. I sometimes feel really inspired to paint other creatures, and when that happens, I go for it and don't restrict myself, but more often than not I come right back to these sweet little rodents!

4. What is the best seller in your shop?

Even though the shop is called When Guinea Pigs Fly and primarily features guinea pigs, the #1 seller is actually the 'Otterly Romantic' print of the otters holding hands (www.etsy.com/listing/62235654/otters-holding-hands-cute-otter-art). I was so inspired to paint that after seeing an adorable YouTube video of otters holding hands at the Vancouver Aquarium (if you haven't seen it, you must! www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUk3T2Kfno), and I think a lot of people find it to be a really appropriate gift for their sweetheart or...brace yourself... "otter half" (har har!), which makes me so happy.

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most popular?

It is amazing to me to think that my artwork is in people's homes all over the globe! The top three places it's most popular are the U.S., the UK, and Australia. Guinea pigs seem to be held in a lot higher regard/are more popular in the UK and Australia, which I never knew until I opened shop! One of my very first orders went to Australia and I thought it was a fluke, but several orders a month usually make the journey 'Down Undah'.




6. What inspires you?

Cuteness, in all its shapes and forms, but of course if I see something with a guinea pig I'm immediately smitten. I'm inspired by all sorts of animals and can often be found visiting a local wildlife sanctuary and farm to recharge. I'm inspired by classic, sweet stories like Winnie the Pooh for my watercolor scenes and there is never a shortage of guinea pig photos to paw through! Sometimes I'll see a particular photo of a guinea pig and think "omg that guinea pig totally looks like a [whatever the next painting ends up being]". They all have their own little quirks and personalities and that can sometimes dictate in what direction my artwork goes.

7. How long have you been an artist?

I began drawing when I was very young and would doodle every day after school with my big basket of markers at the kitchen table. I began learning how to paint and draw more photo-realistic works in middle and high school, and began developing my own style as When Guinea Pigs Fly got established. So as cliche as it sounds, I suppose I've been an artist pretty much my whole life, but only a 'working artist' for the past three years or so.



8. What are your other hobbies?

I write musicals with a writing partner, one of which is currently in production and being marketed to children's theatres across the country (it's a modern twist on the Tortoise and the Hare. If you're near CT in February, come see it! fairfieldtheatre.org/NCTC/), and another which is in the planning stages to be produced by Marymount Manhattan College in the spring. I love learning new arts and crafts, graphic and web design, baking, and have been known to grace a few runways as a fashion model (ooh la la!). My interests are eclectic but when I'm interested in something, I really go for it.



9. Do you collect anything?

I'm developing a growing collection of adorable mice from the talented artists at the Etsy shop The House of Mouse (www.etsy.com/shop/thehouseofmouse)! I also have a rather enormous stuffed animal collection. Not the expensive 'collectible' kind, but just ones that have spoken to me over the years. I don't have the heart to get rid of the ones from my childhood and I am so easily smitten when I see new ones in stores that have that little 'special something'. I can't help myself! :)

10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

I absolutely love going back to my home town of Rockport, Massachusetts to enjoy the festivities there. I don't get to all of it every year, but Rockport has a wonderful Christmas pageant, a tree lighting ceremony, and all of the gift shops are open. It feels very magical and timeless. Spending Christmas Eve into Christmas Day at my parents' house is also very special to me. 

11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?

Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" has always been and will always be my absolute favorite. All of his Christmas music is wonderful, but that one piece really tugs at my heartstrings.




12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?

Oh what a fun question! Hmm... I'd have to say a handmade card my best friend made me a few years ago. We had racked up an enormous list of inside jokes between us involving various colorful characters (both real and imaginary) in our lives. She tied them all in with a rhyming poem and I laughed myself silly.

Many thanks to Lesley from When Guinea Pigs Fly for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

12 Days Of Etsy: Hoolala Jewellery

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Sam I live in England. I created my brand Hoolala in 2005 shortly after I had designed a collection of gemstone jewellery for a spa chain I was working for when I was a graphic designer. it was a sell out and one of the girls said you should do this part time and create a website so I did! My style changed a little and I developed my charms - then I was picked up in a feature for The Sunday Times Style and haven't really looked back since.

2. How did you choose your shop name?

It came from a David Shrigley screen saver called Hula la. he is one of my favourite artists and I thought that is it! Then I Googled it and there was nothing on Google so I trademarked it as my brand name.




3. What is your favourite piece of jewellery to make?

I love making the large one off vintage luxe pieces as they are very special.




4. What is the best seller in your shop?

I am not sure it tends to go in cycles this year the vintage collection has been very popular.

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most popular?

Mostly the USA and the UK but I also sell a lot in Europe and Australia.




6. What inspires you?

Oh my! Everything! I don't have a TV as I find it stifles my creativity but I do love films, books, flea markets and thrift shops.

7. How long have you been crafting?

I studied art for 8 years and have also been a graphic designer - Hoolala is now my full time job but I have always made things ever since I was little. One of my favourite photographs is me as a little girl (aged about 3) in the yard at a farm we used to live in making something with 2 bricks and a pile of twigs on a table.

8. What are your other hobbies?

I also deal in vintage collectibles and can often be found diving in skips, car boot sales and flea markets. I love to surf on the Atlantic coast with my long board and I have a little terrier who keeps me busy walking either by the river or on the beach the rest of the time.





9. Do you collect anything?

Yes World War I and II handmade love tokens.

10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

I love winter solstice and always make the effort to go to the woods on the 21st December to make a little ritual to welcome in the light. I take some candles to light and bread as an offering - then sit by an old oak tree and give thanks for the year that has passed and the year to come.




11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?

I love The Angel Gabriel - I used to sing it at in our school church choir and have fond memories of it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pliqObTHxUQ




12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?

My sister is a graphic designer and we always buy each other a little joke present as well as the main present which I always look forward to opening most. This year she made me a handmade card of a red bus with me aged 7 driving it - I am going to frame it and put it on the wall in the studio.

Many thanks to Sam from Hoolala for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop. Be sure to pop over to Hoolala's Facebook Page and click "Like" to be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize!  The winners will be drawn on New Years Day.

12 Days Of Etsy: Spun On Cotton

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in a small town in Northern California called Grass Valley where both my parents worked from home. My father is an artist whom works mostly as a jeweler. My mother is an antique enthusiast, who was always taking me around yard sale-ing or thrifting. Because of this, I knew I wanted to work from home, be an artist, and was profoundly inspired by anything old. I went to school and left with a degree in Fashion Design...I haven't done a thing with fashion since. I am now a work-from-home-mother, attempting the balance between raising a child and creating my art. I've recently found the only true way to succeed in this, is to treat each moment in life as art, and to live artfully in every avenue of my life. Now that's living!

2. How did you choose your shop name? 

At the time I opened my Etsy Shop I hadn't a product to sell, but I liked the name "Silk and Thistle." Once I started developing my pieces I realized I needed a name that reflected the quirky character of my items a little better. I came up with "Spun On Cotton" as a play on words between "spun cotton" and "Sprung On" (or being excited about something) It fits because I am excited about Spun Cotton!

3. What do you enjoy making the most?

I really enjoy making all of my pieces. Because the majority of my items are one of a kind, every piece is bringing a whole new character to life, I love that!

4. What is the best seller in your shop?

It is hard to say what my best seller is, seeing as I do one of a kind pieces. I do have one made to order item, that I list because it gets so much attention, that's Dudley the Reading Deer.

5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most popular?

I sell most of my pieces to the East Coast of the U.S.

6. What inspires you?

I find inspiration from so many sources, but I find myself eager to create after I've read my 2 year old her bed time story. I love children's book illustrations. I love anything vintage, including cute old cartoons from the 1930's. And of course nature, I am fortunate enough to live in beautiful surroundings, my work space looks out to nothing but trees.

7. How long have you been crafting?

I have been crafting really my whole life. I remember being very young and having the urge to create, something, anything. In grade school the projects were always my favorite. But it is only within this last year that I've been working with spun cotton. I am constantly developing technique and style and that's what keeps it so exciting.

8. What are your other hobbies?

I love being out in nature, painting, photography, sewing, yard sale-ing, and I love to get foot loose as often as possible.

9. Do you collect anything?

I am constantly collecting "stuff", but I could never stick with one type of thing. I just like having things around me that tickle my fancy.

10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Picking only one tradition is a bit difficult, but I would have to say decorating the tree... with cookies baking in the oven ... and old Christmas carols playing in the background.

11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?

Jingle bells has always been my favourite to sing to, especially when others join in.

12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?

One year I was unable to make it home for Christmas because my car needed new tires and I wasn't able to afford them. My brothers ended up buying my tires for Christmas! That's funny and sweet!

Many thanks to Sara from Spun On Cotton for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit her Etsy shop.