Interview with a Seller: CreationsbyWendalyn
Hiya!
Today's post comes to you via an interview with Wendy of CreationsByWendalyn. I'm a big fan of Wendy's creations, they extremely layered and fun. Enjoy the interview!
1. What’s your name and shop name and what do you do? My Name is Wendy and My Shop name is CreationsByWendalyn – I sell homemade cards. My blog is www.creationsbywendalyn.blogspot.com where I always try to post what I use to make my cards.
2. Where are you located? I am located in Minneapolis, MN
3. What’s the favorite part of your craft? The favorite part of crafting I think is coloring. I love to stamp image or print images and sit and color them. Reminds me of when I was young and coloring with my coloring book and crayons. Except now my crayons have turned to Copics. Too bad they aren’t the same price.
4. How long have you been crafting? I’ve been making cards and stamping for going on 10 years maybe 11 from my best guess. I’ve been crafting ever since I can remember with one thing or another from knitting, crocheting, cross stitching, embroidering, etc.
5. What’s your favorite thing to make? Cards. And I absolutely love love love sewing on them. I sew on every card I make on the inside and the outside. I always wanted to learn to sew but never did. So my sewing is done on my cards which I think is a beautiful touch.
6. What kind of camera do you use to shoot? I have a Canon Powershot 12.1 MP. I have a Canon Digital Rebel SLR that my Husband bought me a couple years ago but because I take so many pictures I enjoy the convience of my Canon Powershot the best. I also believe it or not think it takes better close up pictures than the rebel does. I even bought added filters and lenses but I still like the portable better.
7. Who or what models your items? No one models as I make cards I use a light box to show them off.
8. What's the most rewarding part of running your own business? Seeing the finished items I think. I love going through my store front and just look at everything I’ve made. It’s not a business for me though as much as it is a hobby. Any money I get from it goes right back on stamps or supplies. But it helps to take away my guilt from buying so much
9. What's the most challenging part of running your own business? Finding time to make things. It seems there is never enough of it. I also sometimes find it challenging to keep myself on track. I run out of ambition to craft sometimes and then I need to take a break. Normally it’s after Christmas cause I burn myself out.
10. On average, how many things do you create per week? This is a trick question It varies on the time of year. Lately it hasn’t been very many maybe 3 – 12 cards a week but now come summer it will be maybe double that. I love making Halloween and Christmas cards, thus my earlier statement that I get burnt out after Christmas. This year I think I might make Easter cards at Christmas so I know I am going to get at least a few made.
11. What inspires you? Other crafter’s out there. I love going through blogs, stores whatever it may be and see what other people do. There are so many talented crafters out there and I love seeing their work.
12. Take me thru your creative process. I normally stamp or print several images on my Copic cardstock. I like digital images for their convenience but I probably own 1000+ rubber and acrylic stamps mostly stored in binders. So anyways back to what I was saying I print out or stamp several on a piece of cardstock and then I normally sit down and put a movie in and watch TV with my son while I am coloring. I do 99% of my coloring with copics these days. I might do this a couple nights a week.
Then on Saturdays I grab my Ipod and the latest book I am listening to on it. I love audio books. And I go down to my stamp room which use to be a family room. I cut each image out on my cutter and then what I am going to use with it. For instance the Cardstock for that card along with printed paper, trim etc. I do this for all my images and sort them in a pile this way so they are all ready to go for when I finally sit down.
Then when I finally sit down I might have a dozen or so card in front of me not put together. Next I sew all the card together. Once they are sewn all together for insides and out and then I work on putting each card together. Once they are put together I line then up in my photo box and wait for them to dry because I normally put stickles on the trim or whatever on each card. A lot of the times I put stickles on my flowers I use also. It normally takes me about 8 hours to put 12 + cards together from start to finish. A lot of the times I make a lot of 3d type cards this takes sometimes to cut out the extra layers to make them pop up.
Then later that evening or next morning I take all my pictures and edit them in my Photoshop Elements and post them on Etsy.
13. What is your best advice to blossoming crafters?
Start out small it can get over whelming with all the things out there. You would not believe how much stuff I have that I just had to have and how much of it I have actually used. Also my advice if you are coloring items as I do buy good cardstock for your images. I spent years trying to find paper I like. For Copics I recommend their Copic Xpress Cardstock it’s perfect for blending. It does not however work very well with pencils. I find the best for this Papertrey Inks White cardstock. It’s nice and thick. You are trying to skimp don’t do it on the paper. You can however do it on the base cardstock if you layer like I do. I just use the plain Georgia Pacific Cardstock you can get at Walmart for my card bases since I add so many layers there is no difference from regular cardstock and it’s a way to save a little money. I normally always have 2 + layers and then the cardstock base.
Thanks Wendy!
Don't forget! Follow this blog and enter in my blog candy contest! It ends the end of May, so don't delay! :)
Cheers,
Xo, Rachael
Today's post comes to you via an interview with Wendy of CreationsByWendalyn. I'm a big fan of Wendy's creations, they extremely layered and fun. Enjoy the interview!
1. What’s your name and shop name and what do you do? My Name is Wendy and My Shop name is CreationsByWendalyn – I sell homemade cards. My blog is www.creationsbywendalyn.blogspot.com where I always try to post what I use to make my cards.
2. Where are you located? I am located in Minneapolis, MN
3. What’s the favorite part of your craft? The favorite part of crafting I think is coloring. I love to stamp image or print images and sit and color them. Reminds me of when I was young and coloring with my coloring book and crayons. Except now my crayons have turned to Copics. Too bad they aren’t the same price.
4. How long have you been crafting? I’ve been making cards and stamping for going on 10 years maybe 11 from my best guess. I’ve been crafting ever since I can remember with one thing or another from knitting, crocheting, cross stitching, embroidering, etc.
5. What’s your favorite thing to make? Cards. And I absolutely love love love sewing on them. I sew on every card I make on the inside and the outside. I always wanted to learn to sew but never did. So my sewing is done on my cards which I think is a beautiful touch.
6. What kind of camera do you use to shoot? I have a Canon Powershot 12.1 MP. I have a Canon Digital Rebel SLR that my Husband bought me a couple years ago but because I take so many pictures I enjoy the convience of my Canon Powershot the best. I also believe it or not think it takes better close up pictures than the rebel does. I even bought added filters and lenses but I still like the portable better.
7. Who or what models your items? No one models as I make cards I use a light box to show them off.
8. What's the most rewarding part of running your own business? Seeing the finished items I think. I love going through my store front and just look at everything I’ve made. It’s not a business for me though as much as it is a hobby. Any money I get from it goes right back on stamps or supplies. But it helps to take away my guilt from buying so much
9. What's the most challenging part of running your own business? Finding time to make things. It seems there is never enough of it. I also sometimes find it challenging to keep myself on track. I run out of ambition to craft sometimes and then I need to take a break. Normally it’s after Christmas cause I burn myself out.
10. On average, how many things do you create per week? This is a trick question It varies on the time of year. Lately it hasn’t been very many maybe 3 – 12 cards a week but now come summer it will be maybe double that. I love making Halloween and Christmas cards, thus my earlier statement that I get burnt out after Christmas. This year I think I might make Easter cards at Christmas so I know I am going to get at least a few made.
11. What inspires you? Other crafter’s out there. I love going through blogs, stores whatever it may be and see what other people do. There are so many talented crafters out there and I love seeing their work.
12. Take me thru your creative process. I normally stamp or print several images on my Copic cardstock. I like digital images for their convenience but I probably own 1000+ rubber and acrylic stamps mostly stored in binders. So anyways back to what I was saying I print out or stamp several on a piece of cardstock and then I normally sit down and put a movie in and watch TV with my son while I am coloring. I do 99% of my coloring with copics these days. I might do this a couple nights a week.
Then on Saturdays I grab my Ipod and the latest book I am listening to on it. I love audio books. And I go down to my stamp room which use to be a family room. I cut each image out on my cutter and then what I am going to use with it. For instance the Cardstock for that card along with printed paper, trim etc. I do this for all my images and sort them in a pile this way so they are all ready to go for when I finally sit down.
Then when I finally sit down I might have a dozen or so card in front of me not put together. Next I sew all the card together. Once they are sewn all together for insides and out and then I work on putting each card together. Once they are put together I line then up in my photo box and wait for them to dry because I normally put stickles on the trim or whatever on each card. A lot of the times I put stickles on my flowers I use also. It normally takes me about 8 hours to put 12 + cards together from start to finish. A lot of the times I make a lot of 3d type cards this takes sometimes to cut out the extra layers to make them pop up.
Then later that evening or next morning I take all my pictures and edit them in my Photoshop Elements and post them on Etsy.
13. What is your best advice to blossoming crafters?
Start out small it can get over whelming with all the things out there. You would not believe how much stuff I have that I just had to have and how much of it I have actually used. Also my advice if you are coloring items as I do buy good cardstock for your images. I spent years trying to find paper I like. For Copics I recommend their Copic Xpress Cardstock it’s perfect for blending. It does not however work very well with pencils. I find the best for this Papertrey Inks White cardstock. It’s nice and thick. You are trying to skimp don’t do it on the paper. You can however do it on the base cardstock if you layer like I do. I just use the plain Georgia Pacific Cardstock you can get at Walmart for my card bases since I add so many layers there is no difference from regular cardstock and it’s a way to save a little money. I normally always have 2 + layers and then the cardstock base.
Thanks Wendy!
Don't forget! Follow this blog and enter in my blog candy contest! It ends the end of May, so don't delay! :)
Cheers,
Xo, Rachael
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