Weekend Feature: dogwoodlane

I’ve been wanting to start featuring a new etsian each week and now I’ve finally gotten around to it. My first victim, Sally from dogwoodlane.etsy.com. She makes all kinds of bags and her signature item, the Super Organized Wallet. All of them are made of the most fantastically stylish fabrics. One of her babies is coming to live with me soon! In this post you can view some of her products and read her interview.

Try not to be jelous guys, this mod bag is MINE! Besides, if you saw the state of my current bag

you would buy it for me. Don't worry, Sally has other lovely things in her shop and does special

orders too.

This is one of dogwoodlane's superfantastic Super Organized Wallets in Atomic Circles. Click the pics to see the etsy listing.

all product photos were used with the permission of dogwoodlane.etsy.com

What do you do for a living in the daytime?

Well, I'm a stay at home mama to a little girl who just turned 4. So I mostly play games that she's made up and sew during the day.

Tell us a little about your etsy self.

So, dogwoodlane is my shop and it's my place to connect to the crafty world and other people who really appreciate handmade. I've really come to love the etsy community (especially my AREtsy gals) so much! Having so many people who have a love for handmade items in one place is pretty incredible. I also really love the relationships that I've made with many of my customers. It's really fantastic to get to know the people who enjoy the things I make. And well, OK, and the shopping is fantastic, too!

Tell us a little about your non-etsy self.

I'm pretty boring really. I have a cute little family of three (my husband, the little one, and me). I like to ride my bicycle, and I like books and movies.

What do you make and why did you start making it

I make various types of bags and purses, but my signature item is my super organized wallet. I started making wallets because I really like them, and I was having a hard time finding one for myself that I was really happy with. I like wallets that I can shove full of all kinds of stuff and not have to worry about carrying a bag if I don't want to. And, I really was tired of all the plain leather mass produced stuff that I was finding in stores. So, after lots of trial and error, I came up with the super organized wallet.

How did you discover etsy and how long have you been selling on etsy?

I found etsy when I was browsing the internet for artwork for my home. At the time, I hadn't even really considered selling the things I made online or anywhere else for that matter. But, I was hooked on the site and, after alot of encouragement, started a shop of my own in Jan. 2007.

What inspires you?

Oh, I guess I get inspiration from lots of places. Usually, if I'm in a bit of a slump, just getting away from sewing and playing with my little one and marveling at her creativity gets me going again. And sometimes it's just the fabrics that do it....sometimes they just call out to be made into something.

What advice do you have for people trying to sell their crafts?

I'm certainly no expert, but I really think you just gotta find your niche (especially on etsy) and roll with it. You have to find what makes your work unique and really focus on that and let people know what makes you so stinkin' cool. And...I think you have to love whatever it is that you do (a big ol’ cliche, I know).

Artful Blogging Magazine

I dragged the kiddos all over creation today shopping for a custom wedding scrapbook order and we had to make a Barnes and Noble pit stop. I like to take them there because they have the Thomas the Tank Engine train table setup and they have storytimes and of course they have Starbucks coffee. I swear Starbucks adds crack to their mochas to keep me coming back for more. Our routine is to go in through the cafe, order a cup of crack filled cafe mocha, go to the crafting mags so I can have something to look at while they play, and then head back to the children's department. Well today I discovered something new in my crafting magazine section. It's a new magazine called Artful Blogging. Being a new blogger and an artist my interest was peaked. Since I didn't get much looking done in the store, I shelled out the $14.99, something I never do for a magazine, I'm cheap like that. I'm not disappointed. It's beautiful to look at and lets me look at blogs on my couch! It's also really inspiring and I can't wait to check out all the featured blogs online.

Life Gets In The Way

Tonight I was feeling a little frustrated that I can't seem to get much crafting done. Today I managed to make only two cards between feeding, bathing, diapering, and catering to two kids and dealing with two different bedtimes and being a temporary single mom. My youngest is getting in two very nasty second molars and being very clingy with Pappa gone. He's also likely to either not sleep through the night or wake up at 5:30am ready to start his day. I was so focused on getting those silly cards done that every little thing that distracted me was extremely aggitating and I had to work really hard at not snapping at the boys. Now that the house is calm I'm realizing life isn't getting in the way, but I often get in the way of enjoying my life. Besides, I wouldn't want any other life getting in the way of my crafting than the one I have now!

The Sweetheart Box

I have finally made something, it's a tiny something, none the less crafting has indeed taken place in my house! I decided it's never too late to make Valentineish things since people fall in love all year. So here's The Sweetheart Box. Ooops, as I was writing this post I realized that I had this item listed in my shop as the Sweatheart Box, hmmm, maybe a gift for lovers gone astray!

NOTE: My shop The Beehive is now Papercut Kitchen! Please visit my shop Papercut Kitchen by clicking here.

AREtsy

I am in the process of discovering the joys of Etsy Teams. These are groups of Etsians who have banded together under commonalities of beliefs, artistic style, medium or location. I'm so excited to have found a group for my fellow inhabitants of Arkansas, AREtsy! They sound like a fun bunch and it's wonderful to think that I might meet up with like-minded people in person and have buddies to join in craft fairs with. I discovered them just barely too late to make their first meet and greet but look forward to the next. Etsy is just a world unto itself!

Renewing Copout

I have been very lacking in time these days, and energy. My husband moves in a week to be 4 hours away at his new job until we sell our house. I've been trying to sort, organize, keep the house clean and do minor home repairs but things take so much more time and energy with two little ones. The last time we moved my oldest was 8 months old and we moved all at once, it was easier. Now their are two of them and both are old enough to tear up a room the second I turn my back.

I was so excited to come up with some fantastic Valentine's ideas to sell on Etsy and instead have made the Etsy renew feature my best friend. This feature allows you to take an item you already have listed in your shop and extend it's expiration date. When you do this it goes to the top of search lists again and gives you more exposure, just like listing brand new items, only I feel like I'm cheating! I had planned on doing it anyway, while listing new items, so I could force all the unsold Christmas items to the bottom of my shop, but this feels so cheap. I'm going to go take a shower now to wash off the filth.

Delicious

My sister-in-law commissioned an Asian style mini album/journal in black, red and neutral for her little guy and here it is. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, so much so that I made a very similar one to post in my store sometime in the next few days. I was also excited because I got to use my Silhouette to make the bamboo frames and the dragon and lotus diecut pockets. Wouldn't this be super cute for someone adopting a baby from China?

NOTE: My shop The Beehive is now Papercut Kitchen! Please visit my shop Papercut Kitchen by clicking here.