Q: How did you come up with your shop name?
A: My shop name reflects how I got started in this enterprise. After completing a craft project with my daughter for her gymnastics team, I was left with 23 hot pink bottle caps and a question, "What can I do with these?" My need to not be wasteful (combined with a need for an outlet from my job) led to me first learning about bottle cap crafts and from there about other types of jewelry creation. As I made jewelry for various friends and family members, their encouragement drove me to sell some of my accumulating crafts at cost on Etsy. This also give me an excuse to buy more :)
Q: Do you only sell on Etsy?
A: Yes, I only sell on Etsy.
Q: What inspires you?
A: I am inspired by my family and friends, but above all, by my daughter. With almost everything I make, I think, would Carina like this?
Q: What is the hardest part of what you do?
A: The hardest part of what I do is limiting this to "hobby" status and yet still doing the best job I can with it. (I am a very competitive person.)
Q: What is one of your favorite items from your shop?
A: One of my favorite items in my shop is OOAK Agate Stone Pendant on Genuine Brown Leather 2mm Necklace. Actually, it was quite a struggle to not let that one end up in my jewelry box rather than as a listing.
Q: What made you decide to use Etsy instead of sites like ArtFire and MadeItMySelf?
A: I only sell on Etsy primarily because this is a "hobby" and because when I was starting out, all the supplies I needed were available on Etsy so it made sense to list the final products there as well.
Q: Is Etsy your only "job", or is it something you do on the side?
A: I am a research scientist. I do a lot of writing (grants and research papers) and presenting (via teaching or through dissemination of my findings at meetings). On the positive side, these activities have honed my creativity (e.g., use of Photoshop to make figures, finding a solution to a problem, etc.). However, clustered deadlines and writer's block can lead to stressful moments. I found that if I occupied myself with unrelated tasks that made use of my fine motor skills, I would be able to work my way out of my mental block and my nerves unwound. The added bonus with jewelry design was that I had a finished product at the end of it all. Not too shabby!
Q: Are you attending any art shows in the future?
A: Not planning to, but only because it is so outside my normal sphere of existance. If there were an affordable opportunity to display my crafts at an Art Show (that fit my schedule), I would happily go.
Q: Any future projects?
A: Your guess is as good as mine.
Words of Advice: Go for it! Crafting is good for the brain and the soul!
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