Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

ScratchCraft

www.scratchcraft.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live with my wife in a small, old house in St. Paul where we both spend a lot of our spare time making stuff. My day job, though, is as a graphic designer. When I'm not working or making felted friends, I also like to spin, knit, bake and garden.

2. What made you open your shop and why Etsy?
It's fun and satisfying to be able to have, what I like to call, "a self-supporting hobby." I don't see myself quitting my day job, but if I didn't have an outlet like Etsy, our house would be overrun with little felted creatures.

3. Do you sell your needle felted fellas anywhere else?
I don't sell them anywhere else, but I have, on occasion, sold bigger batches to people who I think resell them in B&M stores. Once they leave the house, I can't say for sure what happens to them.

4. How did you choose your shop name?
ScratchCraft is actually the name of the blog I keep (www.scratchcraft.com). I decided to share the projects and things that we make/bake/knit/spin/felt/grow with friends and family. As the name says, we like making stuff, and most of the stuff we make is from scratch.



5. What are your favourite things to do?
I like spending time outside, and generally enjoying life. This is particularly important to me, as last year I was diagnosed and underwent treatment for leukemia. Cancer certainly made me reevaluate the priorities in my life.

6. What inspires you?
Nature is probably my biggest inspiration.

7. Which animal do you enjoy needle felting the most and why?
I think I enjoy making bears the most. They've evolved over the last year and each one seems to develop its own personality as I put the finishing touches on them.



8. Which is your most popular item?
Hard to say. Most of the felted friends that I make seem to sell eventually, but I have made quite a few bears, so I would probably say they are the most popular, followed by the owls.

9. Which handmade possession given to you do you most cherish?
My wife crocheted me a giant afghan last Valentine's Day. She made it specifically for my size (I'm 6'2"), so it's quite long. Truly a labor of love.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
This is a hard one. There are so many great vendors out there, and picking just three would be impossible. But, I have revisited these shops:

MyHandboundBooks
Moontsy And Floontsy
j. Nic Designs



Thank you to ScratchCraft for being my featured Etsy shop this week. I know why the bears are the most popular thing in this shop because they are just the cutest. One bear that is not pictured is the Super Bear. You have to go to this shop and check them out. They have little cape with bees on them and they look like they are flying to save the day. I think I need to own at least one of them. I also love all the characters that are made from Alice In Wonderland. Have a look at this shop and you are sure to find a favourite or two for yourself.