Kiss My Mutt

 

                                      Medium Dog Bed Eco Friendly Green Knot Garden

The winner of August 19 Miss Eileen’s Etsy Picks is Jennifer Beinke of KissMyMutt and her wonderful Medium Dog Bed, Green Knot Garden. Here is her interview.

Hi Eileen!
Thanks so much for this amazing opportunity! I'm really excited!
Here are my answers below:

Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff)
My name is Jennifer Beinke and I'm from Santa Barbara, California. I began making pet products because of my two passions, dogs and design! I love designing products, homes, rooms, and pretty much anything I can. I also love dogs (I have two of my own) and volunteer at my local animal shelter as often as possible.

  Sea Anchor Dog T-Shirt

What are your favorite materials?
I love love love fabrics. I love different textures, colors, patterns. I could spend hours upon hours inside a fabric store. I love water resistant fabrics, I think this is probably one of the best things around! Water resistant fabrics work so well for dog beds; they're durable, stain resistant, and really maintain their colors! I also love soft linens, but we all know that if you're a pet owner you must keep these special pieces far far away from them! :)

What is your favorite color combination?
Ooh, I love soft greys and light pinks together, and I'm also loving green and blue combos right now.

 Please Walk the Dog Reused Barn Wood Floor Door Sign

What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?
The first thing I ever made by hand was a doggie t-shirt. I made it for a friends' dog who had surgery and needed to cover up. It took me a very long time, but it ended up being well worth it!

   extra large dog bed - Water Resistant - Eco-Friendly - Southern Palms

What inspires you?
If I had to pick two places I really go to to find inspiration, I would say I find myself in nature and in fashion. Maybe these are opposites, but I am a nature girl at heart and I love fashion and design mags.
Including eco-friendly fillers in my dog bedding comes from my love for nature, and my designs come from the inspiration I find in the fashion and design world.

Where do your ideas come from?
My pet product concepts really come from my own dogs. I want to make sure my products are quality, durable pieces that I know I would want to have in my own home.

 medium - as seen in OK magazine - reversible bandana - pink poppies

Who is, or was, your greatest inspiration?
While I have a few designers I truly love and find inspiration from, I would say my greatest inspiration comes from both of my parents. They have always taught me to strive for my dreams and to do something that I truly love, and for this I will be forever thankful to them.

Wipe Your Paws Reused Barn Wood Floor Door Sign

What is your favorite thing to do with your creativity?
I love designing products. I'm always drawing, sewing, or working on new concepts I hope to create for the future. Finding materials, especially fabrics, and working them into a product is so rewarding to me.

small - as seen in OK magazine - reversible dog bandana - love for daisies

Why should people buy handmade? Any tips of wisdom on selling handmade items?
People should buy handmade and from small businesses because it truly is quality over quantity. I have had a number of customers that have bought a Kiss My Mutt bed from me tell me that in the time their friend bought 3 dog beds from a mass retail chain, they still had their 1 Kiss My Mutt bed in great condition. The people making handmade products are creating these products with passion in mind, not just dollar signs. Handmade sellers are meant to be personable and care about their products, so be kind to your customers and always be open to helping them out.

What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists?
I used to want to try to please everyone, but realized that is almost impossible. If you are a good artist and have a good eye, customers will come and you will gain a following. It takes time, but remain patient, be yourself, and others will love you for being you.

  medium dog bed - Water Resistant - Eco-Friendly - Sugar Maple

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I am currently working on developing a line of dog toys that will be manufactured in the United States.

What are the Web addresses for your work?
www.KissMyMutt.com
www.Etsy.com/KissMyMutt

Are you offering my readers any specials?
Readers can receive 15% off on www.etsy.com/kissmymutt with coupon code: DogLove

You can find KissMyMutt products/creations at her Etsy store and at KissMyMutt.com, too.

Post by Eileen
Etsy Shops
GoofingOff


MissEileen


MetalWoodsnWater
and
GoofingOff Artfire

Don’t forget to check out the costume pattern sale going on now and remember to use the coupon code HALLOWEEN for 40% off all costume sewing patterns!

Earnest Efforts: Handcrafted and Sustainable Woodworking

Before leaving for the Pacific Northwest I wrote a blog post about the Etsy sellers up that way and highlighted a few of the shops in my weekly Miss Eileen’s Etsy Picks. The winner of that weeks picks was Earnest Efforts and their wonderful Weathered Alder Driftwood Box. Their shop is amazing. Here is their inspiring interview.

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

Earnie Efforts (aka Rick) has been selling his woodworking wares at the Eugene, Oregon Saturday Market (the longest-running outdoor, handcrafted marketplace in the US) since the 1980's. I, Ellie Efforts (aka Heather), joined the Market in 1994 with my fiber arts and in 1998 we got to know one another, fell in love and married in 1999. We are a community of 300 unique and self-proclaimed "unemployable" individuals who share a common goal of supporting ourselves with our artistic talents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Earnest Efforts at the Eugene Saturday Market

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

Earnie & I both love wood. I tell people that I married him because he already had a complete wood shop. I'm kidding of course, but I have wanted to learn woodworking since I was a kid.  I was always gathering up the scrap materials and trying to make something. One of the very first, very unsuccessful, items I made was a book with plywood and nails. It just wouldn't open. When Earnie & I met at Saturday Market I was making books from my handmade natural plant fiber papers and they opened very well.

       Wood Jewelry Box, Desk Organizer, Salvage Black Walnut Orchard Tree

What are your favorite materials?

Our favorite materials come from the Coquille River near Bandon, Oregon on the coast. We travel 65 miles to the coast to gather our driftwood for the boxes. I would be perfectly content with a table filled with driftwood boxes, but as much as he loves the driftwood, Earnie rightly prefers more variety than this. The driftwood is amazing. There is such an incredible story to tell from each piece we gather.

 Wood Box, Treasure Box, Salvaged Oregon-Myrtle wood Wood, Secret Hiding Place

What inspires you?

What is our inspiration? The amazing stories that surround us in nature. The history of a piece of wood found in reading the growth rings bring calm to the mind and takes us on a journey. Running your fingers over the grooves left behind by a beaver is the soundtrack to the story. We can touch and see the lid of a box chewed to a point by a beaver to bring the tree down and the teeth marks remain very obvious in the dark inner bark patches. By enjoying the beaver's teeth marks we are able to make this close connection to a remarkable mammal that only the lucky will ever witness.

Beaver Chewed Alder Driftwood Box





River Driftwood Box, Beaver Chewed Oregon Ash Wood, Salvaged



Apart from creating things, what do you do?

What do we do when we're not working? That is a good question because I think Earnie would agree with me that we don't work very often, but our family & friends would say we work all the time. I guess, when you love what you do with your whole self, "work" is not in your vocabulary. Last night we got to giggling in the garden because we were looking around thinking look at our life - surrounded by sunflowers and the hum of our beehive coming up from behind the divine comfort of our swing that glides softly, hidden beneath the cascading branches of the walnut tree. We're surrounded by trees, creeks, birds, amazing, clean food, Myrtle Efforts, the wonder dog, and one another. We're living the hippy dream - the American dream, the humans of Mother Earth dream...

Natural Baby Rattle, Teether, Madrone Wood, Heirloom Teether, Eco Friendly Infant Toy

 What are the Web addresses for your work?

earnestefforts@msn.com

www.earnestefforts.com

www.earnestefforts.etsy.com

www.facebook.com/EarnestEffortsnaturalwoodworking

www.earnesteffortsnaturalwoodworking.blogspot.com

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Last year we officially announced our promise to plant at least twenty native trees every year. We are serious about caring for Mother Earth and making conscious decisions relevant to social and environmental issues. Earnie was a tree planter in the 1970's and has never stopped planting trees. Maybe by publicly announcing our promise we will inspire others to plant trees as well. We are also committed to using eco-friendly and reusable packaging for shipping our orders, buying products “Made in the USA” whenever possible, and in the last year, we also made a commitment to buying used, making repairs, and buying handmade. Neither of us are big shoppers, but making these conscious decisions reduces impulse purchases and allows us to use our imaginations and support the imaginations of others.  Lastly, the materials we use are non-toxic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Hopefully the choices we make will inspire others and the next generation. Learn more about eco-friendly Etsy shops and eco-friendly lifestyle choices at our Eco Etsy Team's Blog at www.ecoetsy.blogspot.com

Thank you for that incredible interview. I love your commitment to buying used, repairing, and buying homemade. I hope others will feel the same.

Post by Miss Eileen aka Goofing Off

Don’t forget to check out the costume pattern sale going on now at the GoofingOff Etsy and GoofingOff Artfire shops. 40% off all costume patterns!

Etsy shops:
GoofingOff
MissEileen
MetalWoodsnWater
GoofingOff Artfire