Spotlight: Blue Tricycle

Heather coins herself as a jack of all trades when it comes to art and design. She spends her days running her own graphic design business and in her down time ricochets between drawing, painting, photography, crocheting, sewing and even a little jewelry making. Her Etsy shop, Blue Tricycle, was born when she was looking for an outlet to create art that was for her, and there you'll find the most fabulous printable, giftable projects around. She sells downloadable art files that you print and finish yourself to create calendars, cards, tags, stationary sets and more.

I am such a fan of this concept because not only do you support another handmade artist but you get to add your own handmade touch to the pieces. They are great for personal use and absolutely perfect for gifts because for just $4 or $5 (and the cost of your paper) you can create endless calendars or notecard sets for everyone on your gift list or print up as many holiday cards or gift tags as you need.

Read on to learn more about Heather's background, what she would like to learn and what the future holds for her shop. You can also enter to win your choice of any printable from her shop!

Heather behind her camera - photo © Olive Juice Studios

Where are you from originally and where do you currently call home?
I’m originally from a small town, population of 300 in SE Minnesota. Now I live in small city on the outskirts of Minneapolis, MN. I just moved here two years ago from Minneapolis and I love the change. One of my favorite parts of living here is that I’m far enough outside of the cities that I drive by farms and open land every time I go somewhere.

How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I’ve been selling on Etsy for two years.

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?
I have a day job which I love, too. My husband and I have a graphic design firm called Blue Tricycle. My Blue Tricycle Etsy shop has become a place I can sell the artwork I created for myself. I needed an outlet where there wasn’t a client or anyone editing my work.

What, if any, formal training have you had in the arts?
I graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. It was an amazing time of my life – I was immersed in art, film and design 24 hours a day. I remember working in the computer lab there and having to go get a cup of coffee whenever my work was rendering – we had the newest computers of the time, but they were just so limited then. Sometimes I would come back and it would still be rendering!

What made you decide to open up shop on Etsy?
I was desperately in need of an outlet to create artwork that was for me. Etsy was a great fit because it’s all about the artist and handmade items. I was happy that my needs and my customers needs lined up so perfectly.

How did you come up with your shop name?
It was an extension of the graphic design business, Blue Tricycle. The business started at the time my husband and I had just gotten married, bought a house, got a dog, had a baby and had a life-changing event all at the same time. We are all about family and a tricycle was about starting off with your first set of wheels, your first ride as a child that was faster than any other experience yet. We also added “Blue” because it’s unique and memorable.

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by ephemeral things – by my traveling memories, items made of fabric, patterns, and stationery made with beautiful papers, especially letterpress.

What do you like least about your craft?
I feel like I don’t have enough time to create as much as I want to. I would like to make enough time to do all the arts/crafts I like such as sewing, crocheting, jewelry making and photography.

Do you have any advice for other sellers on Etsy or those thinking about pursuing their craft?
Spend some time in the forums learning from other Etsy sellers – it’s an amazing source of information. I also got a lot of exposure from participating in the forums – I found out about free opportunities to show my work on blogs, treasuries, ads, and holiday showcases.

Etsy Shops you love
Infraredstudio - jewelry with an urban aesthetic made by a North Star Roller Girl who is also a designer, skateboarder and photographer in no certain order.

Groundwork – artwork that has the feel of a memory or a moment; there’s a sliver of a story hiding within her art work.

lottahelleberg – pillows, sachets, tea towels created with natural fabrics and leaf impressions. I love the simplicity of one color combined with the linen fabric.

prettyrandomobjects – pottery with unique animal shaped vase with a modern feel

LittleFishFurniture – bookshelves made from real books. I love reading and books in general, so these are wonderful to me.

littlefishbigpond – DIY clothing kits. Perfect for me, since I love DIY, but don’t always have the time for all my crafts.

Tell us the story behind your Magic Tree Calendar shown below

This calendar features artwork from the children's book titled The Magic Christmas Tree written by Mary Sue Stevens and illustrated by me! Each illustration was a linocut and then colored with watercolor (about 40 hrs each)! The publisher is very supportive of me creating a calendar with the artwork. This is a great way for people to get affordable art pieces – it would be a great gift for teachers and librarians. The book can be purchased on Amazon here.

Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
The coolest place I have ever been to is Sienna, Italy with my husband. The first time we only got to spend an hour there before the last train left, so we came back seven years later and spent two days there. We have a thing about almost missing trains on our way to and from Sienna because it happened again!

Share some of your guilty pleasures
Chocolate, naps

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you?
This is one of the strangest things I can remember at the moment. When I was a kid I went to a diner with my grandma and her friends and I was the only kid there. I sat there for what seemed like hours, so to pass the time away I started thinking of phrases for Wheel of Fortune. When we got back to my grandma’s house, we turned on the TV and Wheel of Fortune was on with that exact phrase I was thinking of at the diner! I don’t remember now what the phrase was, just how strange and serendipitous the situation was.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play you?
The first person that came to my mind was Gwyneth Paltrow. So funny, because I asked my husband right after and he said the same thing! I think it is her quiet voice and the majority of the time she has long, blonde hair.

What would you like to learn?
I would like to learn how to screenprint. I love printmaking – I’ve tried woodcuts, intaligio, and monoprints. I think the artwork I’ve created would look great in those flat, velvety screenprints. I think this question just inspired me!

What does the future hold for you and your shop?
I would like to continue to offer a new calendar each year and I think sewing patterns are my next adventure.

You can keep up with Heather and her work by visiting her blog or following her on Twitter.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Heather is offering one winner any printable item from her shop.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:
Please leave a comment on this post with your favorite item from Blue Tricycle along with what type of printable item you would like to see or see more of.

You may enter once per day with another item you love or another new printable idea.

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 Twitter or my Facebook

Follow Blue Tricycle on Twitter

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

You have until Sunday, November 21 at 10 pm (est) to enter and I will announce the winner Monday morning. Good luck and thanks for visiting!