The Artist Behind The Etsy ~ Catnip Design

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.

A lovely Sunday morning to you!  This week’s Etsy artist feature is Teri from Catnip Designs.  Teri is so creative, which is very apparent just looking at the treasures in her Etsy.  Teri also has a blog called Artistic Catnip.  She shows you how to make some fantastic crafty creations on her blog.

Thanks so much, Kathy, for featuring me this week on your blog. I enjoy reading your behind the Etsy series and it is an honor to be here.

My name is Teri Calia and I run a small Etsy shop called Catnip Designs. I have been creating art in some form since I was old enough to pick up a pencil. In high school I fell in love with jewelry making and using power tools to build shadow boxes. In college it was life drawing and sculpture that captured my heart.

After I graduated from college and got married I spent most of my time with a glue gun creating stuff to decorate our home and sell at craft fairs. Eventually, I bought a sewing machine and worked with mohair creating one of a kind teddy bears. I even won a few awards for my bears at a teddy bear artist convention in the 90's.

After I dumped my cheating husband I got a job illustrating animals for a wholesale t-shirt company. Here I really found my niche as we sold mostly to zoos, museums and humane societies. I love drawing animals so it was a wonderful job to have and inspired me to eventually take up power tools again. This time I fell in love with shrine making and mixed media sculpture.

I eventually took on a part time job working for Alpha Stamps that allows me to make samples using all the latest products. Most of what you will find in my Etsy shop is a sample that was photographed for Alpha Stamps to use on the website.

I've made jewelry, collage canvases, lots of shrines, banners, mixed media sculptures, hand sewn felt kitties, books, dolls, miniatures... you name it I've probably done it, lol. I need to create constantly to stay sane and having an Etsy shop is an excellent way for me to sell the things I create.

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