Sunday, July 13, 2014

The Artist Behind The Etsy ~ Harp and Squirrel

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Being a part of the Etsy community, not only as a seller but as a customer, I have come across many talented individuals.  With this series, I hope to introduce you to some of these creative people, finding out where they find their inspiration, and a little bit more about them.

I came upon Michelle’s Etsy shop, Harp and Squirrel, just randomly viewing items on Etsy one day and just knew I had to feature her here!  Such cute, cute things perfect as gifts or for your own little ones.  Michelle and her husband, Martin, have also started another business, also geared toward children, that sounds like it will be a great success.

Etsy banner

My name is Michelle Bruckner, I am a wife and mother of a soon-to-be three year old. I am completely giddy that Kathy has asked me to take part in her “The Artist Behind the Etsy” series – I feel like I am a legit crafter now! My husband and I both work as designers for kid’s clothes for a company called Wes and Willy. While I get to use a lot of creativity at work, most of the design elements are computer based, so I wasn’t quite getting my sewing fix.

I'm With Handsome Combo for Baby, Mustache Pacifier, Burp Clothes and Strap and Bib Scarf-- Great Gift for a Baby Shower

Bulldozer and Bright Colored Burp Clothes for Baby -- Great Gift for a Baby Shower

I actually started my Etsy journey after a night of what we called “mean mom” crafting. I had bought a sheet of brown foam and cut a mustache out and glued it onto one of my daughter, Harper’s, pacifiers. We laughed and laughed over how adorable it was to have a baby with a mustache. After about two weeks of strangers commenting and gushing over her new accoutrement, I thought, “I bet I can sell these!”

Owl Combo for Baby, Burp Clothes and Pacifier Strap -- Great Gift for a Baby Shower

My daughter continued to inspire me when I tried to search out cute burp cloths and came up with boring, bland and blah. I have a small addiction to buying fabrics. Etsy is such a win, win for me because I can buy all kinds of fabrics and trims and justify it by selling the end result. I love trying to coordinate different fabrics and find cute embroidery patterns to compliment the prints.

Ombre Parasol and Birdie Burp Clothes for Baby -- Great Gift for a Baby Shower

Baby Santa Mustache and Beard Christmas Pacifier, Great Baby Gift or Photo Prop

One of the other first listings in my Etsy store was for custom ordered artwork, created by my talented husband Martin. He had taken drawings done by his young nephew and used his wild and amazing graphic design talents to breathe life into the artwork. This has taken off into its own website, www.Creatureland.com. Nothing is more fun than watching children getting their drawings back after they’ve been “creature-fied”!

Your Child's Toys Illustration -- Great Mother's Day Gift and Keepsake

We have a lot fun with our side projects and love to create together. We hope it someday rubs off on the little one.

Thanks so much for sharing your Etsy story, Michelle!  I love that you were inspired by your little one and your new venture sounds like a lot of fun.  I also love that both of your businesses are geared toward children.

10 comments:

sweetvintageofmine said...

Such beautiful things!!! The baby mustache is adorable~~~WHAT creativeness and talent~~~Blessings, Roxie

Okio B Designs said...

Cutest shop EVER!

Jeanine

Junkchiccottage said...

Ha ha what cute things especially the mustache and beard pacifier. Too cute.
Kris

This N That said...

I love the owls.. Cute baby. Hope you had a good weekend.

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Haha the baby mustache!!

Celestina Marie said...

What an adorable shop. Such a talented designer. Thank you for sharing Kathy.
XO

farmhouse-story said...

your santa baby patsy is simply adorable! thanks for sharing, kathy!!

Blondie's Journal said...

Michelle sounds like she really enjoys coming up with great ideas for little ones...she's a happy soul! I love her little creations! And her hubby is pretty creative, too! I will have to check out her site...never too early to start stocking up on some grandbaby things!! ;-)

Jane xx

Anonymous said...

Hi Kathy! Oh, what lovely things she makes and the baby pacifier makes me laugh! Thank you so much for popping in to see me and your well wishes. I'm excited about the new journey.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Ana said...

What a great meme Kathy. It was very nice to meet Michelle. Love the cute pacifier mustaches. Thanks to both of you for sharing.

Hugs,
❤️Ana

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