1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hare And Drum is a mother-daughter duo: Agnieszka who thinks up the designs as well as creates items in wood, paint, and decoupage, and her mom Maria who does the beautiful hand embroidery.
2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
I started Hare and Drum in March 2008 as a decoupage shop, creating and selling items inspired by historical design. I opened the shop following a year as a stay at home mom during which I crafted for friends and family. My direct motivation to get started on Etsy was Rob White’s interview with Martha Stewart on her show.
3. Do you sell your items anywhere else?
Etsy is currently my only active venue.
4. How did you choose your shop name?
History inspired the shop’s name: my Hare and Drum logo comes from a 1210 manuscript and carries symbolism of dexterity and rejuvenation. I really needed to feel rejuvenated after leaving the academic world and becoming a stay at home mom, a fantastic new job, but admittedly a bit repetitive.
5. What are your favourite things to do?
Unlike many crafters, I love taking photos of my items for sale. That stems from my interest in photography in general, although I do not have fancy equipment. I’m a photographer of choice for family and friends’ casual events. My other fave is being in nature, especially in the forest. My parents’ house stands among pine trees on the edge of the forest and I’ve always been enamored with warm quiet beauty of the woods.
6. What inspires you?
Historical design was my original inspiration and still remains a favorite: many of my embroidery designs are based on or inspired by Art Nouveau museum finds. I decided, however, that my shop needed a clearer focus and now most of our creations are nature inspired. Color plays a big role in my design process: I usually start with a base or background color and match it with one or two more, not always in a predictable manner: purple and red or blue and green go really well together, in my opinion.
7. Of all the items you make for you shop, which do you enjoy making the most?
I have the most fun designing digital collages of vintage images. I find the images, clean them up digitally to give them new life, and then invent a story or a humorous concept when putting them together with other images. I later print them on greeting cards or use them in decoupage. My friends love those!
8. Which is the most popular item you sell?
My bestseller is definitely the business card case that doubles as card display. I am the only one on Etsy who carries this style. The item is versatile and available for personalization; it is also a potential “man” gift of the useful kind, and those are hard to come by on Etsy.
9. What handmade possession do you cherish?
I have a cable turtleneck sweater, knit by my Grandma some 15 years ago. She is now in the final stages of Alzheimer’s and no longer knits, recognizes family, or even talks cohesively. Every time I look at the sweater I remember how wonderful she used to be. I cherish her work so much I’m afraid to wear it!
10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
PeskyCatDesigns - Elisa, the creator behind the shop, is my Internet buddy. Her shop reflects her personality very well: warm, calm, steady. Her purses are such high quality!
I love looking at art by RestlessThings. The designs are so simple in the color schemes, so delicate. I really like her choice of backgrounds she works on: brown paper bags, book pages. It adds a whimsical aura to her work.
Finally, I keep returning to PudledukSoapCo for more and more yummy smelling, quality soap.
Thank you to Hare and Drum for being the Favourite Etsy Shop Feature this week. I am alway amazed at the embroidery work that is done in this shop. You have to see them all. I love how the fabric is a bold colour and all the stitch work is usually done in one colour. I think that affect is beautiful. I can see why the business card holders are such a hit. I think I need one for myself. But which one to choose? It would be a hard decision. Check out this wonderful Etsy shop and you will see why so many Etsy Treasuries feature their products.
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2 comments:
Wonderful feature! Thank you so much! I'll blog and tweet about it, too :)
This is a wonderful feature! I LOVE Hare and Drum's beautiful and whimsical work.
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