Weekend Feature: tizzalicious

Meet Tizz, a crafting etsian from Holland. She makes a lot of different things but there’s no mistaking her style, it’s Tizzalicious! Her teeny tiny dollhouse art makes me want to retrieve my unfinished dollhouse from my parents and start renovations! You can find Tizz at her etsy store tizzalicious.etsy.com, her off etsy shop tizzlicious.com and keep up with her on her adorable blog, tizzlovescrafts.blogspot.com. I just checked out her blog and saw that she has a tutorial on how to make her adorable monster! See some of her work and read her interview below. Click a pic to view the etsy listing.

OOAK Miniature Dollhouse Wallart for Blythe, Barbie, Pullip...

Heart and Star Brooch

Fugerella (Cute Monster)

all photos used with the permission of Tizzalicious

Tell us a little about your non-etsy self

I'm Tizz, a 25 years old crafty girl from Holland! I have a boyfriend, Per, who has to put up with the mess I make when creating stuff. I'm a Blythe addict, and Hanson fan, and I think I'm a bit of a shopaholic too!

What do you do for a living in the daytime?

I am currently on disability because of severe migraines.

Tell us a little about your etsy self

I am an Etsy addict! Ever since I signed up I can't stop browsing the forums, treasuries, other peoples' cute blogs,... I wish I was rich so I could buy a whole lot! My favourites are filled with cuteness! As for my shop, I sell "kawaii, kitsch & rockabilly", so my shop is full of cuteness and things inspired by the past. I started with just jewelry (for people and Blythe dolls alike!), but I recently added other things like magnets, little mixed media collages, and cute soft monsters.

What do you make and why did you start making it?

I make jewelry, accessories, mixed media art and softies. I have been making everything for years now, except for the softies, I started those recently.

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

A friend told me about it! I signed up as a buyer first (sometime in 2007), but didn't start selling until January this year.

What inspires you?

I love anything 50s and retro, which is definitely noticeable in my work. And other peoples' crafts & cuteness! Being on Etsy really inspired me to be more crafty and try new techniques.

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

Make sure you have good pictures in your shop, and promote a lot! Start a blog and use it for more than just shop updates so people will be interested in reading it. Get a Flickr, a MySpace, sign up for blog listings,...anything to get your name out there! And be original! :)

A Well Rounded Addiction

My very first etsy purchase was waiting for me when I returned home. It is the aforementioned bag from dogwoodlane.etsy.com and I am even happier with it in person than I was with it online. It has created a conundrum for me though. I was already addicted to the selling side of etsy but now I feel a new addiction stirring within me, buying on etsy! I think my biggest problem is that I love receiving things in the mail. Not any old thing, junk mail does not thrill my soul, but things I've purchased online, cards from friends and family, that kind of mail always makes my day. I await it's arrival with the excitment of a child on Christmas eve. I blame my Grandma who, with every change of the season, would send my brother and I each a huge box stuffed full of brand new clothing in the latest styles that would be delivered right to our doorstep by the beloved UPS guy.

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!