Today I would like to welcome Sarah K. from SaraiDesigns.
She love creating wearable art, each one of her pieces is one of a kind!
1. I am passionate about crochet. It is such a beautiful art, and has gotten a
bit of a bad rap, especially when compared to knitting which has always been
the trendy child of the two. My goal is to present the world with crocheted
clothing that fits and is aesthetically pleasing. I also delight in clothing
that nods to both vintage, old fashioned themes combined with modern
sensibilities, so most of my clothes are what I would consider wearable art
pieces that are looking for a home with someone who will know right away that
that piece belongs with her.
2&3. I heard about Etsy several years ago, and was vaguely interested, but
didn't have time to pursue it. I finally actually checked out the website last
fall, and was immediately enthralled. Through word of mouth, I knew I could set
up an Etsy store, but courtesy of the word of mouth method of gathering
information, I also thought that it was probably an arduous task best left for
some never to happen day when I had nothing better to do. I quit my normal job
last fall, and since I did end up with some extra time on my hands, I decided
to check it out, and was superbly pleased to find that setting up a store was a
ridiculously easy thing to do. In fact, not only was it easy but I really enjoyed
it, and I was also very impressed with all the wonderful information that Etsy
makes available to people trying to learn the ropes of selling. The
infrastructure is really great, and makes the whole thing so much more user
friendly than some other websites I've looked at.
4. I sell crocheted clothing and crochet patterns that I have designed and
made. I try to recycle materials when I can, and one of my favorite items that
I will be making more of are dresses/tops that have a crocheted bodice sewn onto
a recycled dress/skirt. These are so cute, and there is no limit to the styles
that I can create. I'm really looking forward to expanding this part of my
shop.
I also sell prints of photos I have taken, most of which are of things in the
natural world but could include anything that really strikes me.
Vintage Lovelies is a small part of my shop where I can pass on antique or
vintage treasures that I come across in my constant haunting of thrift stores,
yard sales, antique stores, and flea markets. You never know what you'll come
across!
5. SaraiDesigns is based on my name. Sarai is the Hebrew version of my name,
Sarah, and although I'm not Hebrew or particularly religious, I wanted to use
something unusual but liked the idea of keeping it simple by using my name. I
wanted the name to be a little elegant, slightly sophisticated, but not too
pigeon holed, so that I could use it for a lot of different types of things.
6. My shop is vibrant and colorful, earthy and yet delicate. I certainly
appreciate the neutral color pallette that has become so prevalent on Etsy, and
its very attractive, but I have to admit that color always draws my attention.
I don't know yet whether I can claim any kind of success using vibrant colors
as opposed to the more soothing tones I see in a lot of shops, because I
haven't had my shop long and I haven't had many sales yet. But I will keep
using this type of look until it becomes evident that it wont work, which I
hope won't be the case. But we shall see.
7. My inspiration comes from several places. I love the look of the roaring
twenties, flapper style hair, clothing, jewelry, art, decor, all of it. I
wouldn't say that my pieces are direct reflections necessarily of that time,
but there is that hint I think in a lot of what I do. I also look at what is
popular right now, and try to mesh the two things in an attractive way.
Perusing fashion magazines or websites is always interesting and I usually come
away with my brain agog with ideas. It can be a little overwhelming, but there
are always some winners stewing in there!
The great outdoors inspires me greatly as well. The texture and color in
flowers and plants, trees, the sky, even the ground, catch my attention
constantly. I am outside in the woods a lot, as we live up in Northern Idaho
and only recently got electricity, so I feel that I've lived the last six years
or so in much closer touch with the things outside than the things inside, in
some ways.
8. Opening a store on Etsy did more than just give me a place to market my creations.
I discovered an entire world of other talented, fabulous people who seem to
want to put some old fashioned honesty and good will out into a world that has
become so obsessed with the bottom line. I would say that has been a really
pleasant surprise, and it inspires me to continue in faith that all good things
will come around in time, especially on those really dead days when I think
this will never work.
