I'm thrilled to start the week off with a new Spotlight that is sure to make you smile. Kristal of
rikrak is just brimming with happiness and positive energy which shines through in everything she does. A former elementary school teacher (in various locales including Ontario, Thailand and South Korea), Kristal has always loved crafting and bright colors. She repurposes vintage fabrics into beautiful, new fun and playful creations for all ages.
Read on to learn more about her work, her magic kindness-elixir, her favorite lullaby and enter to win one of her sustainable quilty wallets!
Recycled quilty vintage fabric clutch $21
Where are you from - originally and currently live?
Thanks so much for having me, lillyella! I grew up in a mid-sized city in southern Ontario, Canada. These days, my little family & I live in lovely lovely, pedestrian-friendly, naturally wonderful Ottawa, Canada.
How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I started selling on Etsy exactly 2 years ago last week! What a fun 2 years it’s been!
Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?
Yes to both! In the mornings, I get to be at home mommying with my little sweetie! In the afternoons, when he’s in kindergarten, I rikrak. At night, as soon as he’s asleep, it’s more fun rikraking!
Five Favorite Etsy Shopsoh heavens … so many. Today I especially adore:
kinchi for her gorgeous use of vibrant vintage fabrics for modern kiddies.
chakrapennywhistle what a fabulous & truly kind eco-forward artist she is!
artmind those brilliant 99 feelings sculptures – love ‘em
tortilla girl love those beautiful new tunics
cookoorikoo what beautiful new rings she makes from vintage findings!
(and I’ve gotta say… I adore letterpress stationary: so anything beautifully letterpressed!) Vintage little quilt fabric bib $21
What inspires you?
So many wonderful things: kindness, joy, natural light, pattern, geometric shapes, simple lines & colour-play, my curious & fun little sweetie, my creative & loving family.
What do you like least about your craft?
It’s sad that all of the vintage fabrics i use are in limited edition. eek! I just adore so many of them… they can be hard to part with when i know they can’t likely ever be found again!
Do you have any advice for other sellers on Etsy or those thinking about pursuing their craft?
Believe in yourself. You can do it!
Vintage fabric patches $4.50
Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
My cute hubby & I lived & worked in Thailand for a year a few years back. Our various amazing travels around that beautiful, vivid, friendly country were so inspiring. Some of the most amazing places I've been to I saw during that time.
What is your favorite leisure time activity?
Playing & visiting & laughing with my wonderful family!
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, with whom would it be? Just for one week, I’d love to be a fulltime portrait photographer like the famous
Annie Leibovitz. When I was very little, she was the first artist I ever aspired to be. Today, decades later, I still love her crisp, emotive work, thoughtful!
Vintage recycled fabric quilt coasters $7
What is your favorite song?
Oh I’m so crazily obsessed with different songs on eternal repeat at various times. So today, my 3 faves (sorry – can’t choose 1) would be:
Elevator Love Letter by Stars
Tennessee Waltz by Patti Page, as my little sweetie & I love to sing it as a lullaby (
I know – funny lullaby!) each night.
The Wind by Cat Stevens
If you could be a superhero, what would your powers be?Oh wonderful! If I could be a superhero, I’d love to possess the superpower potion of *kindness-elixir* whereby with just one drop I could magically turn wars into conversations, and human rights would always supercede violence toward others. Gotta mix some of that up!
What does the future hold for rikrak? Hopefully lots and lots of continued great things: great adventures with my lovely family. on the work front: many new designs, finishing the structuring of a fun new pattern book I’m working on, continuing to grow my new little blog, and lots more! Please stay tuned!
And speaking of staying tuned, you can follow rikrak on
her blog (which is chock full amazing things daily!),
on twitter and in
her shop.
Design your own sustainable quilty wallet $12
GIVEAWAY TIME!
Kristal is offering up a choose your own fabric sustainable quilty wallet to one lucky winner. I'm such a sucker for pouches and since I always have to carry exact change, these little cuties are perfect.
Here's how to enter:
Leave a comment on this post with something you love from
rikrak. You can enter once per day and you must include your first name -and- Etsy username or email address with each entry or it will not be included.
For additional entries, you can do the following and post in the comments to let me know:
(2 extra) Twitter this Feature
(3 extra) Follow my blog (if you already do, just let me know)
(3 extra) Follow the
rikrak blog (if you already do, just let me know)
You have until midnight (est) on Thursday, April 23 to enter and I will announce the winner on Friday morning. Thanks, as always, for supporting my Spotlight artists!
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