Featured Etsy Artists 6 - Effie the Pixie

This week's featured Etsy artist is the lovely Yuko from Etsy shop Effie the Pixie. Feminine care products may not be what you expect to find on Etsy, but increasing numbers of women are turning to cloth, reusable pads instead of disposable sanitary wear. Yuko's products are functional, comfortable, and environmentally friendly, as well as cute and colorful. Here's our interview with Yuko:

Tell us a little about your shop?
I sell environmentally friendly cloth feminine care pads. I also sell greeting cards, although I haven't made a card for sale for a while due to not having enough time.

How did you discover Etsy?
Etsy appeared on a search result page back in 2006. I can't remember what I was searching for, but since then Etsy occasionally came up in search results. I finally joined at the end of 2007. Etsy changed a lot during this time.

What were the first items you bought and sold on Etsy?
The first item I bought was "Whipped Body Butter Samplers in Your Choice of Scents". The first item I sold was a Mother's Day Card.

What are you working on right now?
I am making mini round pads for makeup removal. Also I just started working on designing carrying pouch for the feminine pads. I am lucky to have wonderful customers who gave me these wonderful ideas.

What is your favorite item in your shop?
At this time, my favourite item is the Butterfly Pad Set [right]. I love the Butterfly fabrics. Paris Cat Pads [below] are also my favourite, as I like coordinating fabrics.

What are your ambitions as an artist/craftsperson?
My ambitions as a craftsperson is to make functional, comfortable, easy-to-care and pretty(most important) feminine pads that a woman cannot resist to use.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?
I appreciate all the customers who have been very supportive, helpful, and encouraging. I am very glad that they like the pads, and I am amazed how pleasant my experience in Etsy has been both as a buyer and a seller. I got to know some very nice people. Finally, thank you very much for the opportunity of this interview.

Thank you for the interview, Yuko! Check out Effie the Pixie at Etsy now for more information and to purchase. Yuko is a wonderful seller to buy from, with great communication and superfast shipping, as well as an awesome product! Yuko also has a wonderful blog, which gives information about her work and new items, as well as featuring other Etsy artists and craftspeople.

Featured Etsy Artists 5 - PurrPrints

This week's featured Etsy artist is fellow SquidEtsy team member PurrPrints. Becca at PurrPrints is a wonderfully talented artist, who produces beautiful cat-themed art. PurrPrints is also a member of the Etsy for Animals Team, and donates 5% of all profits to the no-kill animal shelter, the Shamrock Foundation. Here's our interview with Becca:

Tell us a little about your shop?
PurrPrints is a relatively new shop on Etsy that sells my various cat-themed imaginings (and I'm starting to introduce some of my art without cats in it now too). It has prints, cards, ACEOs, magnets and (at this moment) a hand-drawn mini-purse. Soon it will also have pendants and possibly bookmarks--oh, and I often do custom work for people with specific ideas for colors and design combinations.

How did you discover Etsy?
It was mentioned in a blog I was reading--I can't recall which one right now--but I fell in love almost immediately.

What were the first items you bought and sold on Etsy?
I first got involved through Etsy's "alchemy" function, because I had a bunch of gift-giving coming up (my first anniversary, step-dad's b-day, husband's b-day) and I wanted to give some really special custom gifts. I think the very first one was a custom clock for my husband for our anniversary. The first item I sold was the red and brown version of "Kitty Love" [top picture] to an absolutely wonderful woman in Canada.

What are you working on right now?
Bamboo pendants with small hand-cut prints of my cat drawings on them and a custom pointillist cat portrait (I'm too ADD to ever work on just one thing at a time ).

What is your favorite item in your shop?
Ooo. That's a hard one for me. My mind changes based on my mood, really. Right now it would be a toss up between the 8x10 print of Existential Cat [see right] and the original of Indoor Cat Dreams [bottom picture].

What are your ambitions as an artist/craftsperson?
On the small scale, I want to continue learning new techniques--right now I've got my eye on sewing, especially. on the large scale, just to continue to get my work out there and meet wonderful people. I'd love to be able to support myself through my art if that's possible--if not, then I'd love to get to the stage where I can sell enough to buy all the other wonderful things I find from fellow etsians every day :)

Anything else you'd like to tell us?
I know I've alluded to it already, but I really enjoy meeting new people and doing custom work. I like making something that matters specifically to one person, something that fits the idea in their head and brings it into the "real" world.

My hope is that anyone reading this on your blog who likes my shop will drop me a line, even if they can't buy anything right now, just because I love making connections with people. That's really the big reason I'm into Etsy: the community.


Thanks so much, Becca! To see more of Becca's gorgeous art, check out the PurrPrints shop at Etsy. PurrPrints also has a lens (page) at Squidoo, with more information and pictures.