A.L. Designs - feature #50

Name: Adrine from A.L. Designs

Website links: Website | Blog | Etsy | Twitter

What do you make?

I love to make handmade jewelry, miniature food and deco cosmetic cases.

What or who inspires you?

I always love something with flowers, plants, birds, fairy and things that are natural.

I have been playing with clay for 5 years and I still love it. The clay is where I search for different techniques to be used on my current designs. 

How did you get started?

Initially, I went into art in order to design unique pieces for myself to wear. However, in time, I came to fall in love with it and started exploring the various crafting techniques, I just can't stop doing them everyday!

What are your favourite materials to work with?

My favourite materials are almost everything. It can be fabric, charms, stones, pearls and more. I can’t sit still and just doing one type of craft all the times. I love exploring new techniques. 

What is the hardest and your most favourite part of crafting?

Hardest will be thinking the name for the creations and photoshopping the photos. That really can be very time consuming. Favourite part will be crafting. I love creating a lot. I think good sleep is important. 

List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them 
Etsy: I love purchasing goods from there and they are reliable, not to say one of a kind as well for those handmade items.
Stomp: Daily Singapore news of what people see and they post comments.                   Deviant Art: I enjoy admiring other people work be it any form of art.

Flickr: Enjoy browsing all kind of photos that people are sharing.

Facebook: Connect to all my new and old friends even though everyone is busy with their own lives. 

Do you have any advice for those in the biz?

Always stay positive and be happy in life ... never let negative thoughts affect you. I did before, but never will I do it again. If I can so can you!

Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?

I consider myself to be both.

(photo images courtesy of A.L. Designs)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...

Bubbly Shnooks - feature #49

Yummy Yarn - feature #48

Cutesypoo Toys - feature #47

Locomotive Clothing - feature #46

Hand & Shadow - feature #45

Kove Handmade - feature #44

Sam Bradd - feature #43

Katrinshine - feature #42

Penelope Brown - feature #41

Laura Bucci Handmade - feature #40

Track and Field Designs - feature #39

Irit Sorokin Designs - feature #38

Clockwork Fantastica - feature #37

Divesin - feature #36

Flight Path Designs - feature #35

Plantscapes - feature #34

Olive - feature #33

Uncle Phil / Flipside - feature #32

Kim Werker - feature #31

Haiiku - feature #30

Smidgebox Designs - feature #29

heyday design - feature #28

Smeeta - feature #27

ACageyBee - feature #26

Maked - feature #25

Firefly Notes - feature #24

Florence Ann - feature #23

Him Creations - feature #22

Jenny Hart - feature #21

district thirty - feature #20

tinywarbler designs - feature #19

telly designs - feature #18

Cabin + Cub - feature #17

Rachel Hobson - feature #16

Green Couch Designs - feature #15

Tanis Alexis - feature #14

Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13

Fibre Manipulator - feature #12

Sam Made - feature #11

All Things Paper - feature #10

Owl + Pussycat - feature #9

Bliss in a teacup - feature #8

It's Your Life - feature #7

Faythe Levine - feature #6

Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5

pomomama design - feature #4

GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3

Bueno Style - feature #2

The Beautiful Project - feature #1

Bubbly Shnooks - feature #49

Name: Michelle Clement from Bubbly Shnooks
Website links: Etsy | Blog | Twitter | Flickr

What do you make?
I make cute illustrated paper goods for my shop, Bubbly Shnooks, and am currently expanding my line to include crocheted goodies, soft dolls, and accessories. I also design a line of scrapbook paper for Sassafras Lass, as well as work in the local Vancouver animation industry as my ‘day job’, as well as making a lot of crafts just for fun: I love to scrapbook, embroider, sew, cross-stitch, and am currently addicted to crocheting!

What or who inspires you?
I’m really inspired by artists, crafters, and illustrators who have made their own little thriving indie businesses! Artists like Elsie Flannigan of Red Velvet Art, Susie Ghahremani of BoyGirlParty, and Emily Martin of The Black Apple, for example – those who make their own unique and adorable goodies and have remarkable branding & a smart sense for all things indie bizz. Chasing dreams really inspires me!

I’ve also always been really into the mix of aged vintage & bright colors, so thrift shops inspire me, as does the magazine aisle at a big book store. Scrapbook galleries, numerous crafty blogs, children’s book illustrations, and artists like Mary Blair, Dr. Suess, and Edward Gorey have my heart. Calgary’s own amazing ‘Uppercase Magazine’ is also an amazing resource! I find inspiration everywhere, really. The world around me inspires!



How did you get started?
I started scrapbooking when I was 12 at a beginner’s class with my mom, and everything’s kind of stemmed from there! (I’ve been sewing and drawing and journaling for as long as I can remember, too, of course). I got really into scrapbook products and goodies about 4-5 years back, and my love of drawing led me to doodle my own scrapbook paper tags, which then led to also making cards and art prints, and it’s grown out from there. The collage-inspired way I scrapbook has now also led me to designing lines of paper – where I use every crafty technique in my arsenal, from embroidery to dying paper to drawing to sewing. It all started with paper and has grown into a creative outlet that comes out in a wealth of forms!

What are your favourite materials to work with?
I love to work with heavy cardstock and walnut ink (a natural brown dye that ages paper in a lovely way). I’m also partial to my trusty HB pencil and plain old white paper for drawings, and Photoshop is vital for everything! Fabric is also a favorite – especially neutrals that I can dye and scrunch and make my own.



What is the hardest and your most favourite part of crafting?
The hardest part, for me, about crafting is following a project through from beginning to end without being distracted by a new idea/project – lol. I like to start them, but it takes me a long time to finish one thing, sometimes! My favorite part is that as well, though – it’s so inspiring and there are so many possibilities in and of itself, there’s always something new & fun to be made!



List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them
A Beautiful Mess: I love Elsie’s blog because it’s full of crafty/vintage/fashion/indie business goodness, always!

I Just Might Explode:
Kara is a thoughtful, inspiring, crafty girl who just moved to New York to go to art school – her adventures and wonderings always make me smile!

Vivienne McMaster:
Not only are Viv’s photos amazing, but her thoughts are so insightful & lovely to read.

Candi Mandi: Mandi’s adventures in fashion, thrifting, and home décor always inspire!

Danielle Thompson: Danielle’s design sense & love of vintage kitsch – not to mention her amazing photography, rocks!



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
I would say that the most important thing when you’re creating anything or opening a shop is to make what you want to make and stay true to yourself, not to make something because it’s popular right now or that it’s what everybody else is doing. It can be discouraging at first, sometimes, feeling like you’re a black sheep of sorts, but once you spread the word and find your niche, you’ll be glad you stuck with something unique that you love to do. You’ll find that other people will love that about it, to!

Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
Oh, this is a toughie. I’ve bantered over it with art school folk a few times, because it’s such a blurred line, now. I would like to say I’m a ‘maker’ – lol - aka, a crafter & artist all rolled into one. I think today that craft & art have joined forces – crafts are just as beautiful and inspiring during this handmade movement as art, is, to me.

(photo images courtesy of Bubbly Shnooks)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...
Yummy Yarn - feature #48
Cutesypoo Toys - feature #47
Locomotive Clothing - feature #46
Hand & Shadow - feature #45
Kove Handmade - feature #44
Sam Bradd - feature #43
Katrinshine - feature #42
Penelope Brown - feature #41
Laura Bucci Handmade - feature #40
Track and Field Designs - feature #39
Irit Sorokin Designs - feature #38
Clockwork Fantastica - feature #37
Divesin - feature #36
Flight Path Designs - feature #35
Plantscapes - feature #34
Olive - feature #33
Uncle Phil / Flipside - feature #32
Kim Werker - feature #31
Haiiku - feature #30
Smidgebox Designs - feature #29
heyday design - feature #28
Smeeta - feature #27
ACageyBee - feature #26
Maked - feature #25
Firefly Notes - feature #24
Florence Ann - feature #23
Him Creations - feature #22
Jenny Hart - feature #21
district thirty - feature #20
tinywarbler designs - feature #19
telly designs - feature #18
Cabin + Cub - feature #17
Rachel Hobson - feature #16
Green Couch Designs - feature #15
Tanis Alexis - feature #14
Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13
Fibre Manipulator - feature #12
Sam Made - feature #11
All Things Paper - feature #10
Owl + Pussycat - feature #9
Bliss in a teacup - feature #8
It's Your Life - feature #7
Faythe Levine - feature #6
Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5
pomomama design - feature #4
GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3
Bueno Style - feature #2
The Beautiful Project - feature #1

Yummy Yarn - feature #48

Name: Yummy Yarn by Kirsten Zerbinis
Website links: Etsy Shop

What do you make?
I make hand dyed fibre for spinning and felting, and handspun yarn. They're one of a kind, beautiful supplies for artisans and crafters.

What or who inspires you?
I'm inspired by the materials. I've been knitting for so long, and I continue to be amazed and inspired by the combinations and possibilities of what seem like small variations - stitch, material, type of yarn, technique. And lately, I've been on a project to support biodiversity. So many fiberistas seem to be stuck on mainly just one sort of sheep, the Merino. It's not that merino isn't a perfectly lovely fibre, but it's like being able to buy only one sort of tomato in the grocery store, or one type of bread. What has inspired me lately has been the project to stretch myself as a spinner and learn how to bring out the best in a lot of different types of fibre, and then bring a range of interesting and wonderful materials to crafters, something they really can't get in a lot of yarn stores. (Not to underrate yarn stores! Several local ones carry my yarn!)

How did you get started?
I got started as a pro because I had moved to a new city with a new baby, and my previous career - college English teacher - was largely closed to me unless I wanted to put my baby in daycare. I didn't. I started the business as just a little thing, just a little attempt at doing something I'd always loved but never thought could be a 'real' job. Three years later, here I am running a profitable business that lets me still be a mostly stay at home parent to my two girls.

It's been so interesting to see how one thing has led to another. I opened an online store for the handspun yarn, and then I did the Farmer's Market that summer. The Farmer's Market let me meet a lot of local crafters, and I was asked to do a demo at an arts centre. That demo led to me teaching there. Teaching there led to me teaching all over the place, and through that I keep getting inspired to make new things, develop my skills still further, see what else I can set my hand to.

photo credit: Kim Werker

What are your favourite materials to work with?
Wool. Actually, even more specifically, wool with personality, wool with body. Can I go ahead and say that I just don't really like merino? I find it kind of lifeless and boring. I love the pillowy bounce of Falkland, the shape and structure of Shetland, the silky hand of BFL. I get cold, man, and I want to knit stuff that has substance.


List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them
Ravelry: It's the spinning knitter's best friend. I love that I can just plug a bunch of constraints into their search engine -- yardage, gauge, preferred project type -- and it will spit out dozens of projects that fit. No more sitting there with a skein of yarn trying to pull an idea out of your own head, now you can plug into the hive mind!

Etsy: It's Etsy, dude. It's like regular, but without the sore feet and the greasy, uneasy feeling that your'e contributing to evil just by being there (or is that just me?). I love love love seeing what thousands of crafters accomplish when they all put their stuff up together.

Living Crafts: There aren't many crafts magazines I read, but I love this one. It's full of ideas for crafts to do for the home and with kids, but it's very wool based. There is almost no plastic lacing or glitter involved, but instead there's a focus on natural materials, simple and elegant ideas.

Um, I'm kind of out of links. I actually don't spend a ton of time online. I don't blog; I don't read blogs. Sorry, I am rarely the source of linky goodness.


Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
There's nothing wrong with being in the biz for the biz aspect. I think sometimes there's a stigma about talking about money, profit margins, and return on investment. I've heard people say that they don't really expect to make a profit, that they're just doing this 'for fun,' and it always makes me sad that they think handcrafts is somehow not important. Making stuff is important - important enough that a talented, hardworking artisan should be willing and able to
make a living doing it.


Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
I call myself an artisan. For me, an artist is someone with some sort of semiotic content in their work - something they're trying to say. My work says "isn't this a lovely combination of reds?" There's no message. And yet, to say "crafter", there's been a bit of an abuse of the term going on. People still think about gluing bits of synthetic lace to lampshades, painting snowmen onto ornaments. Artisan, for me, captures the idea that what I'm doing is one of a kind, unique to my technique and my ideas. That what I'm doing is small scale, and not reproducible by mass production.

(photo images courtesy of Yummy Yarn)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...
Cutesypoo Toys - feature #47
Locomotive Clothing - feature #46
Hand & Shadow - feature #45
Kove Handmade - feature #44
Sam Bradd - feature #43
Katrinshine - feature #42
Penelope Brown - feature #41
Laura Bucci Handmade - feature #40
Track and Field Designs - feature #39
Irit Sorokin Designs - feature #38
Clockwork Fantastica - feature #37
Divesin - feature #36
Flight Path Designs - feature #35
Plantscapes - feature #34
Olive - feature #33
Uncle Phil / Flipside - feature #32
Kim Werker - feature #31
Haiiku - feature #30
Smidgebox Designs - feature #29
heyday design - feature #28
Smeeta - feature #27
ACageyBee - feature #26
Maked - feature #25
Firefly Notes - feature #24
Florence Ann - feature #23
Him Creations - feature #22
Jenny Hart - feature #21
district thirty - feature #20
tinywarbler designs - feature #19
telly designs - feature #18
Cabin + Cub - feature #17
Rachel Hobson - feature #16
Green Couch Designs - feature #15
Tanis Alexis - feature #14
Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13
Fibre Manipulator - feature #12
Sam Made - feature #11
All Things Paper - feature #10
Owl + Pussycat - feature #9
Bliss in a teacup - feature #8
It's Your Life - feature #7
Faythe Levine - feature #6
Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5
pomomama design - feature #4
GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3
Bueno Style - feature #2
The Beautiful Project - feature #1

Cutesypoo Toys - feature #47

Name: Cutesypoo Toys
Website links: Cutesypoo Toys | Blog

What do you make?
My husband and I make cartoons for a living and formed this company out of our love of toys. I just wanted to recreate the kind of toys that inspire kids, instead of the toys you just get from the toy store that are made in china, why not make one of a kind of toys that kids really fall in love with? Plus we always wanted to make our cartoons come to life and animating them is ok..but when a kid can hold and touch and hug a toy...then that is really something!! Most of the toys we make are custom printed with ecofriendly inks such as the cone gnomes, but recently we are making embroidered toys with our new embroidery machine such as our cutesypoo pillows and plush kitties. Of course, we always try to make out toys ultra cute!!

What or who inspires you?
Kawaii culture like Hello Kitty, I worked on the Pucca tv show and that was an influence, japanese zakka style magazines, friends, flickr..food! I think of food when i make toys ..like the colours i will ask myself ...does it look yummy enough to eat??



How did you get started?
I have been to japan twice and after i got back from the first trip there i started to try to sew my own toy bunny from a japanese felt book and when i did i was hooked! Funny thing is I tried hard not to create my own stuff because i am so creative at work I wanted to do a "mindless thing " while i relaxed in front of the tv at night ..but eventually I couldn't help myself when i started to draw something in my sketchbook i just HAD to make it!! The first thing i made was a plush coconut bun and i still have it.

What are your favourite materials to work with?
Cotton canvas, vintage scraps of fabric because it looks good and fleece and minky because it is easy to sew.

What is the hardest and your most favourite part of crafting?
Easy! My favourite is drawing up the ideas and also the satifaction of a completed project and my hardest is the whole part between that!!



List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them

My Daily 5 ( Crafting and non crafting in no particular order )

Flickr: Endless inspiration and wonderful comments help me stay in touch with the DIY community.

The Clothes Horse: I love fashion so much and she has the best style and things to say in general a really nice blog to follow.

Patchwork Pottery: A very talented friend i met through Flickr! She lives really close by as well so we like to craft and have tea when we can!

Must have cute: The lastest dose of Kawaii and cute.

My Paper Crane: She is the queen of plush food..nuff said!



Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
I know everyone says this but it's true! Stay true to what you are and what you want to create but also be realistic with your products and see what sells and do research by doing craft shows to see what people think of your stuff. In other words..don't just ask family and friends...



Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
Artist...
I went through art training my whole life, this is probably a phase ...who knows? i could easily drop it all tomorrow and make comics ;D

(photo images courtesy of Cutesypoo Toys)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...
Locomotive Clothing - feature #46
Hand & Shadow - feature #45
Kove Handmade - feature #44
Sam Bradd - feature #43
Katrinshine - feature #42
Penelope Brown - feature #41
Laura Bucci Handmade - feature #40
Track and Field Designs - feature #39
Irit Sorokin Designs - feature #38
Clockwork Fantastica - feature #37
Divesin - feature #36
Flight Path Designs - feature #35
Plantscapes - feature #34
Olive - feature #33
Uncle Phil / Flipside - feature #32
Kim Werker - feature #31
Haiiku - feature #30
Smidgebox Designs - feature #29
heyday design - feature #28
Smeeta - feature #27
ACageyBee - feature #26
Maked - feature #25
Firefly Notes - feature #24
Florence Ann - feature #23
Him Creations - feature #22
Jenny Hart - feature #21
district thirty - feature #20
tinywarbler designs - feature #19
telly designs - feature #18
Cabin + Cub - feature #17
Rachel Hobson - feature #16
Green Couch Designs - feature #15
Tanis Alexis - feature #14
Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13
Fibre Manipulator - feature #12
Sam Made - feature #11
All Things Paper - feature #10
Owl + Pussycat - feature #9
Bliss in a teacup - feature #8
It's Your Life - feature #7
Faythe Levine - feature #6
Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5
pomomama design - feature #4
GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3
Bueno Style - feature #2
The Beautiful Project - feature #1

Locomotive Clothing - feature #46

photo credit: Ophelia Photography

Name: Locomotive Clothing Co. (Jay and Aaron Matte)

Website links: Locomotive Clothing | Etsy | Twitter

What do you make?

We make sweet and unique streetwear, adorned with screen print, applique and spray paint. Everything from historically inspired t shirts with a touch of whimsy, to edgy spray painted hoodies to super cute toddler train and tractor items.

What or who inspires you?

Right now we are pretty inspired by everything Canadiana, hearts, pop culture references, circus imagery, history, science and always, trains.

How did you get started?

Jay started spray painting vintage items in a seedy East Vancouver back alley years ago and sold it in local boutiques. When we met in 2007, we decided to partner up in life and in craft and began screen printing and started our Etsy shop.

What are your favourite materials to work with?

We love it all, canvas and felt appliqué, screen printing, the computer (we create some of our graphics digitally). Jay also loves to experiment using spray paint on clothing. It takes a lot of technique and time but the look is really sharp and it washes surprisingly well.

What is the hardest and your most favourite part of crafting?

We just love creating, but there are too many ideas and not enough time! We keep plugging away though. Our most amazing moments have been walking down the street in Vancouver and meeting people who are wearing our clothes. This one guy we met during Car Free Day on Commercial Drive was wearing our Traveler T-shirt. He bought it at the Spring Got Craft and his girlfriend said we "wears it, like, every day." That was great to hear. Selling items all over the world through our Etsy shop is amazing as well. Our hoodies and t shirts are in Japan, Norway, Italy, Australia. So cool.

List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them

We love www.booooooom.com: It is local and global at the same time. He has an incredible eye for style and for what is current. Poppytalk is another obsession of ours. She is another example of a spot-on eye for style. For informative (and super accessible) local arts and culture, we can't forget about Vancouver is Awesome.

Jay has been skateboarding his whole life and we have to include Color Magazine for style, great skate coverage and an all around excellent website.

Bikeexif.com is also Jay's pick, he is a huge motorcycle aficionado and it is a fantastic blog, mostly catering to the Cafe Racer and Bobber community.

Do you have any advice for those in the biz?

Yes!

1. Make what you love.
2. Never underestimate the power of the amazing community of crafters out there. We have met the most incredible, generous and helpful people in the crafty community in Vancouver. Don't be afraid to help or to share information. We have put ourselves out there and have been given so much incredible advice and support.
3. Customer service is KEY. It is so important to be timely, organized and courteous.

Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?

Both I think. We don't think about it too much. We are makers of things.

(photo images courtesy of Locomotive Clothing)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Check out our past features...

Hand & Shadow - feature #45

Kove Handmade - feature #44

Sam Bradd - feature #43

Katrinshine - feature #42

Penelope Brown - feature #41

Laura Bucci Handmade - feature #40

Track and Field Designs - feature #39

Irit Sorokin Designs - feature #38

Clockwork Fantastica - feature #37

Divesin - feature #36

Flight Path Designs - feature #35

Plantscapes - feature #34

Olive - feature #33

Uncle Phil / Flipside - feature #32

Kim Werker - feature #31

Haiiku - feature #30

Smidgebox Designs - feature #29

heyday design - feature #28

Smeeta - feature #27

ACageyBee - feature #26

Maked - feature #25

Firefly Notes - feature #24

Florence Ann - feature #23

Him Creations - feature #22

Jenny Hart - feature #21

district thirty - feature #20

tinywarbler designs - feature #19

telly designs - feature #18

Cabin + Cub - feature #17

Rachel Hobson - feature #16

Green Couch Designs - feature #15

Tanis Alexis - feature #14

Sweetie Pie Press - feature #13

Fibre Manipulator - feature #12

Sam Made - feature #11

All Things Paper - feature #10

Owl + Pussycat - feature #9

Bliss in a teacup - feature #8

It's Your Life - feature #7

Faythe Levine - feature #6

Coco Cake Cupcakes - feature #5

pomomama design - feature #4

GroovyGlassGirl - feature #3

Bueno Style - feature #2

The Beautiful Project - feature #1