Bringing Sassy Back: An Interview with JitterBag

I love handbags and I love fur. I especially love when old furs that have been hanging in vintage shops or estate sales are repurposed and brought back to life. JitterBag does that. She has an incredible sense of fashion and, finding inspiration in fabric and fur, makes the most incredible bags. Jitterbag, or Debbie, won a blog interview in the Etsy Picks for July 8. Here is her interview and some of her beautiful creations.

Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff)


My name is Debbie Neely and I live part time in both Melbourne, FL and Waynesville, NC with my husband Ken and dog, Kirby. I have two adult sons, Chris and Jeff. Chris and his wife Sarah, introduced me to Etsy and helped me get Jitterbag set up. They have a really cool shop named GoodBonesVintageCo.




Funky Cute Tote



What are your favorite materials?

Fabric of all kinds has been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. Vintage furs and leathers are at the top of my list at the moment... I try to use reclaimed and rescued materials as much as I can. I love taking something old and making something totally new and different from it!



Vintage Blue Leather Coin Purse

What is your favorite color combination?


It really depends on the moment. There are days when I really enjoy muted and simple tones and then there are days when my girly girl at heart needs her pink!!! I enjoy working with all colors and pride myself in co-ordinating many different colors and textures for a one of a kind piece of art.



Handmade Leather Mink Purse Upcycled Handbag


What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?


My first sewing experience was around six years of age when I was making outfits for my Barbie dolls!

What inspires you?


The fabric itself inspires me!!! It could be a piece of leather from and old car, a mink stole I picked up at an estate sale, silk kimono, upholstery fabric, just about anything and it will inspire me.



Vintage Leather & Mink Wallet

 Where do your ideas come from?


Again, the fabric "tells" me what I can do with it. It sounds crazy, but, I wake up at 3:00-4:00 A.M. with ideas I can't wait to create!


Who is, or was, your greatest inspiration?


In high school an art teacher was a great inspiration for me. She assigned us a project to use a 36" square piece of natural burlap stretched on a canvas stretcher, We were instructed to create an original design using as many fabrics and textures as we could . My teacher encouraged me to enter mine in a contest and it won first place and was sent to Washington, D.C. to be displayed at a museum!


What is your favorite thing to do with your creativity?


Making new designs, as all of my work is one of a kind.




Zebra iPad Sleeve faux fur Trimmed with Leather


Why should people buy handmade? Any tips of wisdom on selling handmade items?


Handmade one of a kind items are made with an individuals creative thoughts. Each piece is thought-out carefully and then constructed with pride, patience and the love of creating a unique piece of art.


Repurposed Vintage Mink & Leather Eyeglass Case Handmade




What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists?


I have learned from fellow artists to believe in your craft and create what you have a passion for.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?


Apart from working with fabrics, I enjoy entertaining family and friends. I love to cook and play golf. I also enjoy spending time and helping care for my father.



Handmade Belt Wallet, Wood button, Embroidered Lining


What are the Web addresses for your work?


I'm really just getting started, so...it's just www.etsy.com/shop/jitterbag

Are you offering my readers any specials?


I'd love to offer your readers a 15% discount. The coupon code for the discount is Jitter2011.
Thanks!!!

Deb


Post by Eileen
Etsy shops:
GoofingOff
MissEileen
MetalWoodsnWater
GoofingOff Artfire

Mama Jean's Kind Thread: An Interview With Jean Abbott

Urban Farmers Dreams Come True

 Tell us a bit about yourself : I currently live in Portland Oregon with the love of my life, two dogs, one cat and four chickens. My own three kids have all grown up and flown the coop. We are committed to trying to live life with intent and straight from the heart. Both of us are vegetarians. We recycle everything we can and use bicycles as our main form of transportation. I have a beautiful recumbent trike with a big basket on the back. There is nothing I love more than to fill it up with packages from Mama Jean’s Kind Thread and take them to the post office to ship to customers. I dreamed of starting Mama Jean’s for years. After 20 years in education I took the plunge last August and started working full time at crafting for a living.




Cowgirl Sewphie


What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?:
I love being creative but sewing is my passion. After all, I’ve been doing it for over 40 years. My mother taught me how to sew back in the day by creating a 4-H club for us when we were young. I was always creating things with bits and pieces of scraps from my mothers sewing piles. She made all my clothes when I was growing up. I loved summer because she would make us 6 sets of tops and shorts to wear during the summer months.



Put a Bird On It Apron


While we were with the 4 H club we tried all sorts of things along the way from knitting to cooking and I still love to do both, but sewing was, and is, my passion. When everyone else sort of tucked his or her sewing machines away, I just kept on sewing. For most of my life I have created my own clothing and my children’s when they were young. Just for fun I became a costumer working for local theater companies and school productions and was a costumer for over 20 years.



Day  Of the Dead in Red and Black



What inspires you?
I think the thing that inspires me the most is color; I love to work in bold bright colors. I love watching them all come together in one of my quilts themed in Day of the Dead or Pirates and Skulls. I call it organic quilting. I love to fussy cut pieces out of the patterned fabrics and start adding color all around them step by step inch by inch and creating quilts. Love this process because I can collect fabrics that I love and then lay them all out on the table and start working with them never really knowing where the end will be but knowing it will be a joy getting there.



Portland Original Handmade Pendleton Wool Baby Booties


Why should people buy handmade? Any tips of wisdom on selling handmade items?:
I love the question why should people buy handmade. I think my answer has to be, "Why wouldn’t you want to have an original one-of-a-kind verses a cookie cutter item that every other person will own?" I’ve never had the problem of attending an event and seeing my outfit on someone else now have I? I want to fill my home with beautiful handcrafted items that are not only functional but also beautiful. That’s why I love quilting. It’s not only beautiful, it’s purposeful.



Magical Playful Fairies in Blues and Browns for Baby


Who is, or was, your greatest inspiration? What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists?:
I believe the greatest lesson I ever learned from an artist, creator of beauty, and lover of life, my mother, was to always come at life from your heart. Do what you love, love what you do, and everything will work out. Staying true to what you believe and what you love makes the act of creating such a joy filled with wondrous surprises that you just can’t help but want to keep doing it and trying new things. I always said I want to create things that people will love and want to own and wear and I want to have fun doing it. I want to walk into my studio each day with a smile from the inside out and say yes to my dreams.

XL to 6X Custom Made Short Sleeve Shirts for Men

What are the Web addresses for your work? Are you offering my readers any specials?:
You can find my items not only on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/jeanabbott but also at www.mamajeanskindthreads.com/ I would love to offer your readers free shipping on anything they would like to order or buy from Mama Jeans Kind Threads. They can use code goofingoff1001 at my Etsy Store. This includes custom orders as well. Thanks for giving me this opportunity it’s been a blast getting all my friends involved and excited about helping me out with my business.

Mama Jean

Etsy Picks Winner 4/1/11 Dawnorama

The Etsy Picks for April 1 yielded 2 winners, LemonLizard and Dawnorama….yup, we had a tie. LemonLizard’s creation was her incredible Bluebird Note Cards and Dawnorama’s creation was the Funky Pin Cushion. Here is Dawnorama’s interview.

 Funky Felt Pin Cushion

Tell us a bit about yourself  My name is Dawn Parizek... I live in Des Moines ( Clive) IA... I am a stay at home mom/artist/photographer/new crafter...

What are your favorite materials?   My favorite material, right now, is felt. But that is ever-changing...

What is your favorite color combination?  My favorite color combination, as of now, would have to be... navy blue and a light yellow...

  Funky, Felt Pincushion

What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?  The first thing I ever remember making by hand... hmmmm... I remember making an Easter Bunny, with my grandma, out of a dish soap bottle... We made it together, for an Easter decoration... I don't really remember how we did it... or all of the materials we used... just kind of remember sitting with her...

What inspires you? Who is, or was, your greatest inspiration?   The more I think about what inspires me, the more I realize that it truly is my grandma. She died when I was 15... but she was always making stuff... sewing, knitting, crocheting, crafting... I think she was the head of her local Homemaker's of America group... or some such thing. She saved EVERYTHING... and then actually used it for something. I used to think I was verging on pack-rat status... because I would save things, to use for future projects... so I think I inherited her creativity and inventiveness...

 

Feathers 8x12 Photograph

Where do your ideas come from?  Where do my ideas come from... that's a good question... they kind of just happen...

What is your favorite thing to do with your creativity? My favorite thing to do with my creativity... again, it's ever changing. At this moment, I'm loving sewing pincushions. I was making yo-yos out of felt, and somehow stumbled onto making a pincushion... now it's a borderline obsession for me.

 Funky, Felt Pin Cushion

Why should people buy handmade? Any tips of wisdom on selling handmade items?  I think people should buy handmade for many reasons... I think it's nice to know who created and crafted something your purchasing, on an personal level. There's a connection with the crafter that you don't get when you buy from the mass-produced market. Handmade items are one-of -a-kind, which is very satisfying... it's a great feeling to look at something, in your home, and think, " No one else in the world has one exactly like this"... makes you feel special... Handmade is awesome for the environment... buying something that was made with recycled materials... buying something that wasn't manufactured in a big, old factory...
I'm really new to the whole handmade world... so I'm still learning... I would LOVE some tips myself...

What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists?  I have quite a few friends that are artists/crafters... Just watching them do what they do has been inspiring to me. My biggest take-away from them would have to be... Get yourself out there. Get on Etsy... get your butt into some craft shows... find some unique shops in your area that would be willing to sell your awesome creations... Facebook your stuff...

Apart from creating things, what do you do?   Aside from creating and crafting, I am a mom to 2 wild and crazy boys... so life is full of volunteering at school... sporting events... doing housework is not my forte', so I'm trying to get better at that... and I am married to the best guy in the world... who coaches our boys... plays drums in an awesome band... and takes care of me like no one else could... among many other things...
What are the Web addresses for your work?  You can find me on Etsy at : www.etsy.com/shop/Dawnorama ...and I am working on a website... www.dawnparizek.com ...

Are you offering my readers any specials?  I'd love to give your readers 10% off any orders... just have them mention your blog ...

Thank you, Dawnorama, for this wonderful interview. Your creations are wonderful.

4.8.11 Miss Eileen's Top Etsy Picks

Happy Friday y’all!. I look forward to Friday, not because the weekend is coming but because I get to tell everyone about the beautiful Etsy Picks I find. This week I found things from all over the world at different price points. Beautiful work. Fantastic leather work, cute plushies, beautiful needlework, gorgeous jewelry, and incredible paper to make the heart sing.




Poll will be in the upper left corner and the prize is a blog feature interview.



Hope you like this week’s picks.





Black Kangaroo Leather Envelope Clutch with Gold Rings by Somandtooby








Polymer Clay Flowers and Butterfly Hair Barrette by ClayBeadsandMore







Set of 8 Matchbook Sized Notepads by Beautanicals







14K Rose Gold, 14K Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, Birthstone Flower Pendant. by EmilyWiserJewelry







Steampunk Earrings guilloche Elgin pocket watch plates by SteampunkNation







Hand Crocheted Cream & Pink Heart Ornament Sachet by DarlKay52







Silly Jelly Bean Appliqué PLUS Snuggly Soft Toys by Five Star Toys











Reclaimed Wood and Glass Tile Hanger by Murph640



New Listing in my GoofingOff Shop.







Vintage Singer Button Holer No. 489500 Original Case



Post by Eileen of GoofingOff.etsy, GoofingOff.artfire, and MissEileen.etsy

4.1.11 Miss Eileen’s Top Etsy Finds

Drum roll please……the last week’s winner was CathysTotes.etsy.com with her gorgeous Silk Dupioni Bow Bridal Clutch.

Here are next week’s contestants. Vote for your favorites in the upper left corner. The person with the most votes wins a Blog Feature Interview.

 

Pocket mirror, Le printemps by Emierose

Funky Felt Pincushion by Dawnorama

Handcrafted Stained Glass Daisy Suncatcher by rparishwoodworks

Blue Bird note cards by lemon lizard on Etsy

Ocean Seaweed Craft Soap by SoaperieMaindeNature

Sterling Silver Breathe Necklace by PianoBenchDesigns 

The hand knitted starlight baby / newborn blanket by Strikk

Timeless Elegance with Tangerine and Dark Brown Dress by LadyTa

Don’t forget to vote for your favorites! Tell your friends.

Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy, GoofingOff.artfire, and MissEileen.etsy.