Spotlight: The Chestnut Fox

You may not recognize the name or the work of today's Spotlight artist, but chances are you know her! The name Lara Lewis may ring a bell and bring to mind beautiful, sparkly jewels but what you may not know is that she moonlights as The Chestnut Fox. As with many Etsy artists, it's hard for us not to dig our toes into other crafty adventures, which is what led Lara to open a new shop for her embroidery passion.

Read on to learn how she got started, what challenges she faces running multiple shops and what she needs to 'decompress'. You can also enter to win one her creations!

Where are you from - originally and currently live?
I'm originally from Southern California — born in LA, and spent much of my childhood years in LA and San Diego. I went to college in Northern California at Humboldt State University behind the Redwood Curtain. I currently live in my "other childhood home" of State College, PA, where my family is originally from.

How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I opened my jewelry shop in January of 2008, but began actively selling around July 2008. It was sort of a lark, really, that eventually consumed my life. I opened The Chestnut Fox in September of 2009 with absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with it! It was finally in March of 2010 that I decided, hey, I can use this shop to unload some of these embroidered doo-dads that have been accumulating in our house.

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?
I sell full time now having resigned from my job as a teacher in 2009. It was utterly terrifying quitting my job, and some days, it still is really scary being in business for myself.

What, if any, formal training have you had in your craft?
I took metalsmithing/jewelry making classes in college, but I'm not sure if that really helped me since I make costume jewelry primarily. As for the embroidering, no, I have had no formal training; and really have no idea what I am doing.

What led you to Etsy?
Initially I opened up a shop on Etsy because I heard about it on Myspace and thought it might be a good place to sell off some extra giclée prints I had from an art show. I didn't even know what Etsy was. I listed the prints and then walked away for 6 months.

Where did your shop name come from?
Foxes are kind of a big deal in our family. They're a favorite animal and have special meaning to my step-father and my grandfather who passed away last summer. I also wanted to have a separate store that wasn't called anything like Lara or Lewis. I never thought I would get so sick of my own name! Word to the wise, when you're choosing your shop name, choose carefully!

What do you like least about your craft?
I'm so new at this craft it sometimes takes me forever to finish a piece... because if I don't like how a certain stitch came out, I undo the whole thing and start over. Each piece is incredibly time consuming, which is why I will never be able to retire on these. They're just for fun.

What challenges do you face running two shops?
I used to have three! It's difficult because you can only be logged in to one shop at a time, and sometimes I get so busy answering convos in my jewelry shop, I forget to check in on my others. I have heard other sellers who ran multiple shops say it's not worth it, and to combine everything under one shop name. They might be right!

Do you have any advice for other sellers on Etsy or those thinking about pursuing their craft?
Yes, go for it! There really is an abundance of helpful information for those who are starting an Etsy business. I have also found that other sellers are wonderfully supportive and great to have as friends especially when you just need to vent.

What's your favorite item you have purchased on Etsy?
Our wedding bands! We bought them from Sudlow.

Five things you love
Fresh coffee in the morning
Autumn: everything about it
A new book from a favorite author
Heirloom rose varieties with fancy french names
The feeling right before I go to sleep when I know my family is safe and sound

Five things you don't
Being afraid of feedback scores
Creepy shirtless man who walks around our neighborhood
Dirty dishes in the sink (housekeeping in general-I am no Monica Bing)
Those 15 pounds I can't seem to lose
Anything and everything to do with this oil spill

Share some of your guilty pleasures
When I really need to just decompress, I set myself up with the latest People magazine, some peanut M&M's and a Diet Coke (you know, diet, to cancel out all the calories).

Share some of your favorite music
Radiohead
The Beatles
Death Cab for Cutie
The Shins
Matt Pond PA
The Smiths
Kate Walsh
The Sundays

...and my husband thinks I am a USO torch singer reincarnated since I love those old show tunes and am always singing them around the house.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play you?
Emma Thompson. She could even keep the British accent.

What would you like to learn next?
I would love to go back to guitar lessons. I started learning years ago, and was really playing up a storm, but when the jewelry business kicked in, I found that I just didn't have the time anymore to keep practicing and learning. Playing guitar is one of my favorite things but I pretty much stink at it.

What does the future hold for you and your shops?
I'm not entirely sure! My embroidering shop will only stick around as long as it's still fun, and I am working on making my jewelry shop more cohesive and not as all-consuming so I can spend more time with my family and just enjoy life a little more.

You can keep up with Lara and all her creative adventures by visiting her blog or following her on Twitter or Facebook.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Lara is offering one lucky winner the darling Antique Skeleton Key Hoop shown above.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:
Please leave a comment on this post with your favorite item from The Chestnut Fox AND what other designs you would like to see in the shop.

You may enter once per day and YOU MUST INCLUDE your first name -AND- etsy username or email address with every entry. (If you are worried about email spam, you can spell out the 'at' and 'dot' rather than using the standard email format.)

Receive additional entries (one each) if you:

Follow or subscribe to this blog, my Facebook or my Twitter

Follow or subscribe to Lara's blog, Facebook or Twitter

(You DO NOT need to leave separate comments for each additional entry, just mention which apply)

You have until Sunday, August 2 at 10 pm (est) to enter and I will announce the winner Monday morning. Good luck!