Wall Topo in Olive No. 4
Marnie has enjoyed working with her hands since she was just a squirt. Her "crafting area" grew from a decorated cardboard box to her own craft room. Now she has two squirts of her own, a corner of the basement overflowing with crafty supplies, and a patient hubby who lets her make things.
Marnie's heart lies with "all things crafty" - which inspired her shop name, Crafterall. Her goal is to create items that appeal to a diverse group of people who share one common trait: the appreciation of handmade works. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her secret fetishes and how she likes her cider.
Wall Topo in Olive No. 4
Where do you hail from and currently reside?
I'm originally from Bemidji, a small city located on the frozen arctic tundra of north-central Minnesota. I went to college there, met my husband, moved to and lived in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin for almost 9 years, welcomed two beautiful daughters into the world and then recently moved to the Minneapolis area to be closer to our families. We currently live in the sleepy city of Shorewood, on the south end of majestic Lake Minnetonka.
How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I opened my shop just over a year ago in November 2007.
Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?
I began selling on Etsy during my maternity leave after the birth of our second daughter. Before that I was teaching high school English and coaching the school's forensics team. Since then, I've been at home with the girls, but I have plans to return to the work force this fall, if only part-time.
Retro Poppies - original paper cut
Five Favorite Etsy ShopsThis is such a hard question.
3dots for her stunning and simple jewelry pieces, as well as her style of photographing them.
jenniferzalewski for her gorgeous greyhound linocut prints. I see my own greyhound, Jack, in so many of her pieces.
btaylorquilts for her quilting eye candy. I dream of having an ounce of her skills.
savor for making some of the most edible-looking soap on Etsy.
Mixed Species for their tireless sense of humor and creativity.
What inspires you?Creativity in all forms, and especially when it involves creating something complicated or unusual out of everyday materials. There's magic there. I think that's part of the reason I'm drawn to papercuts and working with paper in general. It's such an ordinary material, but can be and has been used to create some of the most amazing pieces of art.
Share a secret obsession (or two).It's no secret that I love paper, but I rarely admit to people that my love of paper borders fetishism. I really like to run my hands over the covers and pages of a new book, crack the binding, smell the sepia pages, shuffle playing cards just for the texture, fold origami shapes, and wrap gifts to enjoy the architecture of paper. I hold on to way too much paper (my other obsession - pack rat-ism), and tend to think "I could use this for something someday".
Topo Pillow Cover in Blue
What is the stupidest thing you have ever done?
I was fifteen, playing with friends in the shallow end of the swimming pool before a high school swim meet. We were showing off our backwards sommersaults and seeing who could turn the fastest. In my attempt, I somehow managed to scrape my front teeth on the tiled floor of the pool, shaving a quarter inch off one of my teeth. Worst. Sound. Ever. I had to survive the rest of the meet and an entire day of school before my appointment with the dentist. To this day, I have no idea of the physics of such a move and the event will live in infamy in my hall of shame.
What makes you angry?
Injustices on any scale, when people who smoke while their kids are in the car (and when they consequently flick their cigarettes out the window), and when people abuse animals.
Pearls Oven Digital Photo Prints
What would I find in your refrigerator right now?Not enough! We had to be creative in order to make dinner tonight. As it is, there is some Izze sodas, two pounds of butter, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, red grapes, green peppers, oranges, cheese sticks, flour tortillas, baby carrots, milk, whole milk for the babe, 3 kinds of salad dressing, pickles, jelly no one likes, hummus, cottage cheese, eggs, salsa, and some of my husband's fancy Belgian beers. My hard cider is NOT in the fridge. The British and I prefer it room temp.
What do you have planned for Crafterall in the future?I would love for Crafterall to be busy and big enough so that I could continue to stay at home. Even with what little business I've had (relative to legitimate LLCs and small businesses), I have felt so empowered and energized to create new items, sell them, interact with the buyers, collaborate with other sellers, and everything else that comes with the job. It's not easy, but it's extremely gratifying.
Topo in Aqua - Set of 4 Art Cards
Now it's time for a Giveaway!
Marnie is offering one lucky winner their choice of any item in her shop priced $15 or under. I don't know about you, but there is an empty spot on my studio wall just calling for
Retro Poppies or the
brown topo cards framed in a series.
Please visit
Marnie's shop and leave one comment on this post saying what your favorite piece from her shop is. You may enter a second time by leaving a new comment telling us what you would like to see more of from Crafterall and what your favorite color is. You MUST include your Etsy username or email address with each post or you will not be included.
You have until Friday, January 30 at 8am (est) to enter. The winner will be chosen by random and announced that afternoon.
Marnie is also offering free shipping on orders in her shop through the end of February when you mention this blog post at checkout. Just make a note in the message to seller box and wait for a revised invoice before paying.
I hope you enjoy Marnie's work and good luck!
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