The Artist Behind The Etsy ~ The French Marketplace

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 new series, I hope to introduce you to some of these creative people, finding out where they find their creativity, and a little bit more about them.

Today I’d like to introduce you to Kathleen of The French Marketplace.  You may know Kathleen from her blog, Musings From A French Cottage.  Kathleen just started her Etsy shop this year, but has filled it with lots of French goodies!

Thank you so much Kathy, for inviting me to post today.  I am honored to be a part of The Artist Behind the Etsy series!

 

Hi everyone!  My name is Kathleen.  I am mom to four and wife to my amazingly wonderful husband.  We have a yellow lab named Jack and we love to camp, work in the yard, go to the beach, and play baseball.

 

 

 

 

  I am the happy owner of an Etsy shop called The French Marketplace and I write a blog called Musings From a French Cottage.  I have this certain affinity for all things rusty, crusty, and old.  Cool stuff by the roadside just makes me happy.  There is so much potential in that pile of goodness!

Fifteen years ago, my husband and I married and moved into our new house.  When my husband's parents came to visit, my father in law carried in with him an old sewing machine cabinet that he had found at a yard sale.  It still had the machine inside.  He said that when he saw it, he thought I would love it, so he bought it.  He was right, I did love it and so began my love affair with yard sales and flea markets.  I never knew until then what treasures await and what amazing things I could do with these things.  My next find was an old cabinet that I painted to go in our living room.  I then began hoarding collecting furniture, frames, lamps, and old mirrors.  I was having such fun painting furniture and making our house a home.  I was painting lamps and frames, finding new uses for old objects and having a wonderful time doing it.

 

 

 

 

  Suddenly, our home began to overflow with all of my creations and it was then that I joined my sister in law in her booth at a flea market to sell these items.  From there, I became a vendor at On A Whim in Luckets, VA with my mom.  By that time, we had 3 little ones with the youngest being just under a year old and I had to slow down.  By the time I was pregnant with our fourth, I decided to put everything on hold for awhile.  My family was my priority and everything else could wait.  I continued to be creative during nap time but on a much smaller scale.  I enjoyed sewing and I made pretty dresses and baby blankets for our little ones.  I started creating gift tags and cards that I would give to friends and family for birthdays and weddings and baby showers.  Fast forward five years...when friends started commenting and asking me to make things for them too, I decided to open up an Etsy shop.  The French Marketplace was born!

 

Etsy is perfect for me because I am able to feed my creative side and share it with others - all during nap time!

 

 

 

 

 

I love to make pretty things.  Found objects, paper, rubber stamps, furniture, paint...these are my tools.  Old typography, the color blue, a rustic ruffled tote...these things inspire me.  Inspiration abounds in an old pile of pallets, a lonely chair, or layers of tattered grain sacks all stacked one on top of the other, pretty stripes peeking out.  This triggers the urge to create, to run to my studio and jot down ideas, make lists.  I am especially inspired by French Decor as well as the idea behind French Decor.  Everything has value and can be used again - sometimes even for a different purpose than originally intended and I like that.  Treasured objects are passed down and used for years and everything tells a story.  Creating lovely things in the French Country Farmhouse style is what my shop is all about.  You will discover items ranging from the occasional painted piece of furniture to weathered baskets and paper goods, tags, and stationary.  Pillows, dishes, and pretty laundry bags are on the horizon as well.

 

 

 

 

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Creativity brings such satisfaction because of the happiness it brings to others.  When I am able to make something and someone says that it was just the thing that they were looking for, that encourages me to keep doing what I'm doing!

 

Thanks so much Kathy, for inviting me to be a participant on your beautiful blog.  It's such an honor to be included among fellow Etsy artists!

 

Have a great week everyone!

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen

Thank you, Kathleen!  You can visit Kathleen’s Etsy shop here and her blog here.