LadyLike Accessories.

My apologies for the lack of posts lately. With the semester starting up and a big performance to kick things off, it’s been a little crazy! But – I am back. And feeling cold.  Living in Ohio the last couple years, I’ve gotten somewhat used to the endless and bitter winters. But one thing I’ve never been able to incorporate into my winters is hats. Maybe it had something to do with having short hair for a while.. but I’ve always hated how fussy hats and headbands were – and what they did to my hair. But I will say that today’s feature is definitely changing my mind one adorable crocheted piece at a time. I love the 1920′s vintage-inspired headpieces, available in eye-catching colors. I might have to change my hat policy and actually stay warm this winter… How crazy would that be? ;D

Meet LadyLike Accessories….

Your name? We are Diana Foree & Kristy Behrs–a mother-daughter team from Lady Like Accessories based in Southern Oregon.

How did you get started?  Lady Like was born soon after Kristy (daughter) encouraged Diana (mother) to make some crocheted flower hair clips using embroidery floss and feather embellishments. Diana used to make and sell afghans but never really made crocheted flowers or accessories.  We worked up some new designs that we and our friends enjoyed wearing and ended up selling quite a few at local craft events in southern Oregon and our Etsy Shop opened up in 2009.

Other than making stuff – what do you do?  Kristy is a professional photographer, vagabond, musician and music lover, and blogger. She’s got her own sense of style and independence that keeps our designs fresh & our colors vibrant.  She travels the world and posts her professional and personal work on her blog www.wrecklessgirl.com and runs an artist collective of vagabonds, www.vagabondbond.com. Diana is also an artist in all ways thread, floss, and yarn–outside of Lady Like, she’s working on numerous knitting, crocheting, and sewing projects. She’s also an avid book reader (part of an ongoing, very active book club) and enjoys her weekly women’s bible study.

Who is the most inspiring person you know? We think Maggie from Gussy Sews is pretty incredible–she’s relatively fresh to the indie crafters scene in the last few years–her work is bright & delightful, she’s sweet as a lollipop, and she’s very helpful to others! We’ve enjoyed our collaborations with her and are inspired by her work & blog posts. www.gussysews.com

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• Our accessory designs are greatly inspired by southwestern design, the 1920s-40s, and vintage patterns and fashion.
• Kristy’s lived in Italy and Norway.
• We’re obsessed with thrift shopping and treasure finding.

Check out some more of Diana and Kristy’s work below:

Click Here to visit LadyLike Accessories Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopLadyLike

Thank you to LadyLike for sharing their adorable accessories! Sure to make a winter a little sunnier

Stay warm,

MK

Okay – this one’s for the ladies. Sorry, guys!

I have always been a huge fan of natural products, particularly cosmetics. I’ve always had sensitive skin – but mostly I’m easily creeped out by ingredients I can’t pronounce easily… Magnesiumglycoratiumdioxihylawinglkasnnditseg. Scary. And even though natural make-up has become a normal in department stores, pharmacies, etc… each person has different individual cosmetic needs. Read more about what to look for in natural cosmetics HERE.

I’ll list some of my favorite natural products, just in case you were wondering:

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus.

L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Physician’s Formula Summer Eclipse Bronzer

You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. Today’s feature is Simplicity Cosmetics – a line of vegan handmade cosmetics, without any of the scary/weird chemical fuss included. No parabens, no bismuth, no dyes, no cornstarch, no talc, no nano minerals. Just a short list of high-quality ingredients you can pronounce. But what does that mean for you? That means, you get to know exactly what is going on your face. Sarah’s line of cosmetics provides beautiful shades of vegan-friendly lip products, eyeshadow, blush, foundation, bronzer, and more. Not sure if this is for you? Or maybe you’re not sure what color works best with your skin tone. Not to worry. You can order little sets of samples at her Etsy store. And judging by the 100% customer satisfaction rating, I don’t think you’ll be doubtful for very long.

Meet Simplicity Cosmetics…

Your name? Sarah Mones

How did you get started? I first tried mineral cosmetics when I wanted a fresh look for my wedding 8 years ago, and I never went back to traditional makeup! I started researching what was in mineral makeup and realized that I could improve on what the big name brands were offering at the time. Mineral makeup was not as well known as it is today so most people had no idea what I was talking about when I would tell them about it. I have spent years getting my recipes just right, and I now have a line that I am very proud of and has been 100% created by me!

Other than making stuff – what do you do? Well I am a stay at home mom with Eli, my 2 1/2 year old….and in about 4 months I will have my baby girl Violet to care for as well! I love that my business allows me to spend precious time with my son and also make some income.

Who is the most inspiring person you know? My mom! Even though she would tell you that she’s not a creative person, I really think she instilled a love of handcrafting in me from when I was very young. Most of our family meals were made from scratch, she made homemade yogurt (something I do for my son now too!), she taught us at home and always made school an interactive experience with many handmade items, and she even sewed some of our clothes when we were young! I am very thankful to have grown up with her as a mom.

What makes ‘handmade’ important to you? For me I just love the fact that someone took the time to actually think of an idea and figure out how to craft it. I love buying items that are handmade whenever possible–it’s so much more fun using products that I know a lot of love and care went into creating.

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• I lived in Siberia during my high school years
• I love starting craft projects…..but have trouble finishing them!
• I have an unhealthy addiction to the old tv show “Murder She Wrote”– I love you, Angela Lansbury!

Check out some more of Sarah work below:

Click Here to visit Simplicity Cosmetic’s Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL: http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplicitycosmetics

Thank you Sarah. As a tinted lip balm/chapstick junkie, I will probably be adding this to my Etsy wish list. (Disclaimer: That last statement was mainly for the benefit of my friends and family)

stay gorgeous,

MK

LBC Paper.

If you’re anything like me, you really love great stationery. In fact, if  you’re like me, you’ll look inside your desk drawer and find that you have different types of thank-you cards, blank notes, letterhead, seals, and a ton of envelopes that probably matched something at some point…  LBC Paper is today’s feature.  The artist: Leah Copplestone.  Her specialty: Paper! Leah creates handmade stationery, paper decor, journals, magnets, spools, pushpins, and other colorful paper products.  Her colorful paper flower (pictured) is made from different pages of a children’s encyclopedia (intentionally chosen to create a yellow hue). Each individual petal is placed strategically, and the whole thing is glued to a powerful magnet. It is really an explosion of texture and color. These flowers are also available as pushpins and ornaments. She will also take custom orders, in case you’re looking for a specific color. Another fun fact: If you can guess Leah’s middle name, she’ll refund 25% of the order back to you. Visit her Etsy site for the hint.

Meet  LBC paper….

Your name? Leah Copplestone

How did you get started?  I’ve had Lyme Disease for about ten years but it wasn’t discovered until this past summer. So, needless to say, I’ve been pretty sick for a while but no one was ever able to get to the bottom of it. Athletic overuse injuries were given credit for the majority of my symptoms (chronic, constant, unbearable leg pain). In an effort to distract myself from the continuous pain I started cutting up paper and making stuff with it, which I quite enjoyed. As time (and pain) went on I needed bigger and bigger and bigger distractions, so I started an Etsy shop.

Other than making stuff – what do you do?  Currently I’m taking time off from school (blame goes to the Lyme), so when I’m healthy enough to return to academics I’ll be studying architecture at Boston Architectural College. Until then I pretty much just spend my time hanging out with my two-year-old nephew, playing Sudoku, drinking tea, sometimes cooking, not usually cleaning, maybe reading…oh, and Lyme treatment.

Who is the most inspiring person you know?  Well, there’s my mom, who together with my dad raised my four sisters and me, and who is currently kicking the butt of one of the most outrageous cancers ever known to man (Leiomyosarcoma). My dad pretty much rocks my world; he’s easily the kindest and most humble person I know, while at the same time being totally selfless, generous, creative, funny and occasionally annoying. Yes, I know it’s cliché to pick your parents as your most inspirational people, but I don’t have much of a choice: they’ve both fought for their lives like nothing you can imagine (my mom patiently waited for my dad to kick his Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma’s butt before letting her own cancer begin its invasion) and from both of them I’ve learned lessons I could never even hope to be able to teach to others or to relearn myself.

What makes ‘handmade’ important to you?  Simply the fact that actual human thought goes into every second of the production process. Anything using too much help from a computer gets on my nerves, especially when it’s a paper product. Printed off paper goods really don’t do it for me, especially when exact replicas can be infinitely reproduced. My favorite items to make are the ones where my only tools are my two hands, scissors and a bottle of glue.

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• One of the things that will automatically get you on my bad side is to mispronounce my name as “Lee” instead of the correct pronunciation of “Lee-ah” (but lots of people make that mistake so don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of company if you end up on my bad side)
• I think cottage cheese is the nastiest thing I have ever seen.
• I really loved Geometry class in high school.

Check out some more of Leah’s work below:

Click Here to visit LBC Paper’s Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LBCpaper?ref=top_trail

Once again, a big thank you to Leah – Can’t really do this blog without all of these amazing contributions! And now, time to crank up the heat, bundle, and stay warm. I suggest everyone do the same

MK

Mako Cutting Boards.

Today’s post is dedicated to all of my incredible friends who feed me delicious food on a regular basis. Duck confit. Homemade gnocchi. Freshly baked bread. Eggplant gratin. Guinness chocolate cake. The list could go on and on and on. My friends are terrific cooks – they love food. I eat well. In the last few years, I’ve started expanding my cookware. Good looking + long lasting = what I like. So naturally, I fell in love with these beautiful cutting boards. Made of quality woods like cherry and maple , these boards mean business. And it doesn’t hurt that they’re way easy on the eyes. Gorgeous silhouette and terrific finish.  Some great features: rubber feet for added stability & groove outlining the board to catch juice/crumbs before they hit your counter. The smaller ones are great for serving, too!  There are a few designs (pictured below) – just as gorgeous. How could anyone not want to prepare their food on something so happy?

Meet  Mako Cutting Boards….

Your name? Drew McBee

How did you get started?  My wife and her brother. There was an old pig shaped cutting board in the family that the two of them had been vying for for as long as I could remember. For her birthday a couple of years ago, I made her a pair of them, a large and a small pig-shaped cutting board out of Ambrosia Maple. A few friends said they thought they were really nice, and that I could probably sell them. The thought had not crossed my mind until then.  Since then, I have designed three others ( cow, whale and apple ), and plan to come up with several new designs in the coming months.  Its great fun, and I like making them. I have been “doing” woodworking for years, but never anything consistent.

Other than making stuff – what do you do?  I am in the IT (computer) business, professionally. “Professional Geek”, as I like to say. We have an old house ( 150 years ), so my wife and I spend a lot of time working on that, and we have two girls that we spend a lot of time with.

Who is the most inspiring person you know? My wife. She keeps it all together. Also, the CFO at the company I work for. He has tremendous energy, and focus, and still remains down to earth.

What makes ‘handmade’ important to you? I think handmade means quality made, in many ways. It means that it was not blindly pushed through a process that had been repeated thousands of times by hundreds of anonymous, disconnected human hands and machines. A real person carried this product from start to finish.  I think in the last 100 years or so, we have lost touch with the ability to do things for ourselves and by ourselves, that allow us to trade or sell our “wares”. The advent of the internet and platforms like “Etsy” has brought back the possibility of a village market, only on a global scale.

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• My hair started turning gray in my 20′s ( kids came about then…???)
• I am interested in the Civil War era – Abraham Lincoln, specifically.
• We have 3 dogs – one old, one fat, one possibly schizophrenic.

Check out some more of Drew’s work below:

Click Here to visit Mako Cutting Boards’ Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MakoCuttingBoards?ref=top_trail

A big thank you to Drew for contributing to the post!

And thank you, to all my friends who make my life way tastier every single day. What would I eat without you guys?

stay full,

MK

Woolettes.

A few days ago, I learned how to make needle-felted wool animals: read about my attempt here.  These little guys might make you smile, but they are not the easiest to make. In all honesty, my very first attempt at needle-felting ended up being a blue lumpy something – we’ll call it a storm cloud… I was unable to salvage it. I thought you should meet the pros. The Woolettes create handmade gifts felted from wool – including animals (pictured) and wonderful seasonal items.  One of the frustrations I faced when making Peep was making sure that the outer surface was smooth (without any unsightly bumps). Not an issue here – everything looks like it’s made out of cotton candy.  I know my littlest students would absolutely be in love with these little guys.  This family team takes custom requests – so don’t worry, there’s an unlimited supply of cute to go around.

Meet the Woolettes….

Your name? We are Bob & Sandy Ouellette and Julie Ouellette Earp – a father, mother and daughter team.

How did you get started?  We have always been interested in handcrafts and ran a small business from our home in the 70s.  We sold to local shops and retailers in Boston. Several years ago, Julie saw a book with needle felting projects and suggested that Sandy try it out, and make some gifts for her grandchildren.  Bob, who had recently retired, decided to resume his interest in rug hooking which his mother had done, and also started making gifts for family and friends.  Julie was more focused on papercrafting – invitations and party decorations for her children, but started doing more rug hooking after her oldest started elementary school.  Two years ago, our church had a craft fair, we decided to participate and Woolettes was born.  We started selling at a local retailer and participated in a larger juried craft fair in Woodstock, VT.  Shortly thereafter, we opened our shop on Etsy.

Other than making stuff – what do you do?  Bob enjoys gardening and reading mysteries and Sandy likes to cook and find new recipes.  They both enjoy antiquing and have several collections.  Julie is very busy as a stay at home mother with her two children, but enjoys going to Zumba and playing the cello & guitar.

Who is the most inspiring person you know? Sandy’s mother and family have always been an inspiration to us.  Every project, large or small, was always flawless with no detail overlooked.   They emigrated from Sweden to the US in the early 20th century and were all talented artisans — from cabinet-making to wood carving and other fine arts such as needlework and painting.

What makes ‘handmade’ important to you?

1. A handmade gift is a gift from the heart.  We believe that each product that we make is a reflection of ourselves and our way of leaving an imprint.
2. Handmade evokes memories of grandparents creating heirlooms and instilling within us that each job must be a job well done.
3. Handmade brings us back to a time when life was less complicated and teaches our children the value of knowing how to create.  They have also learned that a sweater, for instance, doesn’t only come from a store but is the result  of many steps in a process that starts from shearing wool from a sheep.

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• Our shop name, Woolettes, both describes our business (products made from wool) but is also how our French Canadian name, Ouellette, is pronounced.
• Sandy and Bob have a room in their house that is affectionately referred to as the “crafts gone bad room” because it is full of wool and other craft projects dating back from the 60s.
• Two trained quality control analysts, aged 5 and 8, inspect most products and we know if we’ve done a good job when they want to keep everything we make!

Check out more of the Woolette’s work below:

Click Here to visit the Woolettes’ Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL into your browser: http://www.etsy.com/people/Woollies

It’s raining here (and has been for a while). Usually, that puts a damper on my evening. But there’s no way I’m feeling anything but sunny after this post – mind you, the cup of tea and blondie sitting next to me definitely don’t hurt!  Thanks to the wonderful Ouellettes for their contribution to my blog feature.

Stay warm (and dry),

MK

Diament Designs.

While roaming around aimlessly during my first few days of Etsy, I stumbled upon Diament Designs. Within five seconds, I had added a handful of these sweet pieces to my wish list – like this and this and this.  Someone buy me all of these, please.  If I were to stumble upon this jewelry at a boutique or department store, there’s no way I would guess that these were made by hand.  As a very very very part-time jewelry maker, I am impressed.  The craftsmanship? Meticulous. Little vintage trinkets? So whimsical! Diament Designs finds that great balance of vintage and modern.  And then add some sprinkles, bunnies and rainbows. Yeah, it’s that charming.

Meet  Diament Designs….

Your name? Libby Diament

How did you get started? I started making jewelry in college as a hobby. Little by little I accumulated a lot of supplies so I decided to sell some things to co-workers. The company that I worked for at the time, Estee Lauder, paid for me to attend jewelry school at night as part of their benefit package. From there I did a few small craft shows and got into my first boutique. I also started my Etsy account and received some initial sales, and got excited to make more! So basically I just slowly and steadily got things moving and growing!

Other than making stuff – what do you do? Well, interesting question. These days I feel like my business is very demanding so I really spend a lot of time on that! I think I need to do some more hobbies to keep my sanity. I am thinking of taking a class of some sort. Besides that, I do spend time traveling around the country finding antiques, and rummaging through thrift stores. I am also with my boyfriend a lot, and fortunately for me he loves doing that too! I love trying new restaurants and enjoy traveling to new places.

Who is the most inspiring person you know?  I would say that I am most inspired by other crafters out there. I know it’s a bit vague, but I really love to be part of a hardworking, creative community. It’s so nice to work around other people that do a similar thing because we share information a lot and it’s so helpful. There is a lot to know in the business and I will take any tips that I can get. I also get really inspired to improve my own business when I see that they are doing something great. Like if I see a great display I will often say to myself “Wow! Look at that setup. Maybe I can spruce up mine a bit.”. That kind of thing. I also read blogs quite often which can be very inspiring. I generally get an overview of the fashion world everyday on The Cut by NYMagazine.

What makes ‘handmade’ important to you? Handmade businesses are such an important part of the economy! I am proud that I can employ friends and family to help make pieces that I will sell to individuals all over the world. I really like that I can recycle vintage pieces that would otherwise be sitting in a dusty corner somewhere in a shop. It’s such a great feeling knowing that someone likes the pieces that I am selling and will be wearing them a lot (hopefully!).

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• I used to ride my pony around on our lawn growing up.
• I lived in Paris several times and love it there!
• I have moved apartments every year for the last 10 years.

Check out some more of Libby’s work below:

Click Here to visit Diament Designs’ Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL: http://www.etsy.com/shop/diamentdesigns

Thank you, Libby for all of the input and letting me feature your gorgeous jewelry.

Now, I’m going to go enjoy some butterscotch brownies being baked in my kitchen. It took a lot of willpower to sit here and finish this post!

Want a feature on emeyeran? Do you have a talent for anything handmade? Let me know!

MK

I think anyone who has ever worked hard at anything will really appreciate this. Beautifully made short video – definitely worth 10 minutes of your time.

MK

Tis the season for resolutions, right? Well I’ve decided.. this year I will attempt…

30 [NEW] PROJECTS BY HAND

30 new skills. 52 weeks.

Here’s the rundown: They have to be projects the I have never attempted before. I cannot buy kits with all of the supplies included. I’ll probably be elated or incredibly frustrated. But every week or so, I’ll be documenting every success and failure.  Good or bad, you’ll see it.  All of this will be with the help of a few of my friends, of course

30ByHand #1….

A couple nights ago, my roommate’s girlfriend visited us. The two of them conjured up a pretty magical meal – like I said, most of my friends meet around a good ole’ fashioned home-cooked DELICIOUS meal. I have great friends. There was a basil leaf salad with roasted eggplant, sautéed pine nuts, goat cheese, drizzled with a really wonderful balsamic vinegar and olive oil. For the main course: homemade gnocchi with shitake mushrooms, english peas, in a lemony butter sauce. Like I said, it was magical.

Meet Lori. She plays cello. She loves food. So obviously, she’s pretty awesome. She’s also an arts&crafts addict, and showed me how to make needle-felted animals! I had seen some of her tiny penguins before, and I actually got the chance to make one myself! How does it work? Read about it on Etsy’s blog here.

Here’s a before and after:

Meet Peep! He’s a little buff, but that’s okay, he’ll hold up well in a fight. Honestly, it was a little trickier that I imagined it would be. But like anything, it takes practice, patience, and time. As for making something absolutely adorable in a small amount of time? So satisfying!

So there we go, #1 of 30 – COMPLETE! 

What are your favorite DIY/Handmade projects? It can be as inside/outside of the box as you’d like – tell me what you’d like to see me and some friends attempt.

What should be next?

Anaid Designs.

I have always been a scarf junkie. Ask anyone who has ever met me – I am wearing some kind of a scarf 99.99999% of the time.  Whenever I move to a new apartment, I struggle to find a place for all of my scarves… I have a problem. So naturally, when I stumbled upon Anaid, I had to stop myself from squealing with happiness. I am in love with these luxurious, thick, warm scarves. It’s like looking at freshly-baked cookies.  These scarves are beautifully and neatly constructed (judging by the high-quality pictures and 100% customer satisfaction rating) – it’s pretty clear that many hours have been spent, really perfecting the art of knitting. But what do I really love about these scarves? Unconventional design. It’s not your typical wrap-around pashmina, or your hipster-friendly triangle scarf.  Adorned with gold buttons and wooden beads, these scarves are multi-functional in the best ways possible: stay warm in your monstrously huge scarf + look perfectly uniquely adorably put together. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better… She’ll take custom orders!

Meet  Anaid Designs….

Your name? Diana Burk (Anaid is my first name backwards… haha!)

How did you get started? I’ve been crocheting and knitting for over 15 years. After my best friend wore a scarf to work that I had made her and I got 30 orders from her co-workers – I decided to open up an online shop! That was in 2003 and I had that ‘store’ for about a year before I had to move on to a ‘real’ job. Luckily, I got another chance at this business just last year and I jumped on it! Now I get to stay at home with my second baby and work with yarn all day long which is just the best thing ever!

Other than making stuff – what do you do? I’m a stay at home mom so my day consists of a lot of playing with toys, dressing up like princesses and generally keeping the house from looking like a tornado hit it! I’m so lucky that my shop has really taken off so I don’t have a lot of extra time for other hobbies at the moment. If I am not working on orders then I am usually trying out new designs that will hopefully make it to the shop at some point. Everything else that I do revolves around my two children and husband. Going to the park, watching movies or snuggling with the little ones.

Who is the most inspiring person you know? Is it weird that over the years I have never really had an answer to this one? I think it’s because I usually don’t try to walk in someone else’s footsteps or look for guidance. Which is, I’m sure, a horrible fault. But in my little world in my head, I have an idea and I decide if it’s what I want and then I do it. It’s all very simple to me usually. However, I am fascinated with Kate Spade and think that her story is remarkable – in the way that I would love for my story to be similar to hers at some point in my life. I know you all have heard of Kate Spade…but if you’ve never read up on the beginning of her business you really should. She had an idea, decided to do it and did it. I love that. Here’s a great interview with her and her husband on how they started her iconic brand:money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2003/09/01/350794/

What makes ‘handmade’ important to you? Today’s world is moving so incredibly fast. We are plugged in, accessible, and on call 24/7. There is no down time anymore. We deal with dozens or hundreds of people a day and yet rarely make a connection to any of them. We don’t know them or really care about them. They are simply ‘players’ in our little theater of life. I feel like handmade items take us back to a time when life was a whole lot slower and simpler. Where people connected to everyone in their life – the grocer, the mailman, the tailor. During the hours that I make an item, I am putting love and attention into that piece. Nothing else matters but that piece that I am making for someone that I have never met! But I am thinking of them and wanting to give them something special. I think that the customer gets to enjoy that as they enjoy their item. They know that this was made by a ‘real’ person and just for them. They have pride in knowing that they supported that person. As much as they love their new item, they also helped a specific person put food on the table or take their family to the movies. There’s a connection between the seller and the customer. I think that connection is the most important thing about hand made.

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• I grew up as an Army Brat – I went to 9 schools in 12 years of schooling!
• I  went to college on a full music scholarship and dreamed of playing with the Boston Pops.
• I’m extremely ticklish and if my hubby even looks at my toes I’ll start laughing!

Check out some more of Diana’s work below:
 

Click Here to visit Anaid Designs’ Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnaidDesigns

Thank you to Diana Burk for contributing to the blog. I’m so tempted to buy all of these right now! But I will show some self-control, and drool over some more pictures…

Stay warm (literally!),

MK

Nerd Dollz.

Yes, as a comic book lover, these are easily the cutest crocheted dolls I’ve ever seen. But what really impresses me is the meticulous attention to detail. Superman’s iconic curl of hair falling into his face, Avatar’s little white freckles (or was it face paint? could never tell…), Harry Potter’s red and gold tie. These tiny little tiny details, paired with superb craftsmanship, make Nerd Dollz adorably unique.

Meet Nerd Dollz…

Your name? Shannon Nix

How did you get started? My daughters. They are into nerdy things – we have one room in our house just filled with all sorts of collectibles from movies, comic books, and so on. One day they asked if I could make dolls for them – Harley Quinn & Harry Potter. They loved them so much, and I had so much fun making them. I thought, why not try some others out?

Other than making stuff – what do you do? I used to teach, but now I’m a stay at home grandma. LOVING IT – Watching my granddaughter and working full time on my NerdDollz. I spend a lot of time on them. I’m currently getting ready for an upcoming comic con.

Who is the most inspiring person you know? My late Grandfather. We used to go to rummage yards and find broken old things and he would make them beautiful. He always told me (and these are the words I live by), “Don’t look at what something is; look at what it could be.”

What makes ‘handmade’ important to you? It’s the thought of making something from nothing, by just using your imagination and your own two hands. Then, seeing it finished is really rewarding. I often wonder if we aren’t sometimes too hi-tech; that we are losing some of the basics (like sewing, crocheting, knitting and so on). That’s why I LOVE etsy. It’s helping bring it back!

Leave us with 3 little/fun/trivial facts about you!

• I love old black and white movies.
• My family is the most important thing in my life.
• I have a large collection of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (such a nerd)

Check out some more of Shannon’s crochet dolls below:
  

Click Here to visit Nerd Dollz Etsy store, or copy&paste this URL: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdDollz
Any questions? Think you should be featured on my blog? Let me know!
Stay warm,

MK