EandHDesigns

Introducing Maryann Lo Duca-Peik of E and H Designs. She lives in San Diego, California and she is new to Etsy. She has some wonderful painted wood items in her shop- would make a unique gift for a new baby or for your own child's room. Check it out....

Business Name
E and H Designs-- I have two daughters named Emma and Hannah-- E and H!

Describe what you sell.
I sell personalized wooden decor; mostly for children's rooms, but I also have some seasonal items. From wall letters personalized to coordinate with your baby's nursery, to A to Z Bookends-- anything can be personalized!!

What is your real life like?
I am a wife and stay at home mama to two beautiful girls. Emma is 6 months old and Hannah is 4 years old. Hannah is in pre-school and dance, so that keeps Emma and I busy during the day. We also have 3 dogs; Woodrow (Giant Schnauzer), Sydney (German Shepard Mix) and Allie (Border Collie Mix).

I love photography and gardening, spending time with my family, and working on my painted creations for my Etsy shop!

What is your process?
Basically, if something strikes me at the craft store or online at the many craft web sites I visit, I gain inspiration. Mostly, the pieces that I choose to paint are made from wood, but I would to venture outside the wooden realm and try canvas. We'll see!

The paints I use are typically Apple Barrel Gloss acrylic paints. I love to use stencils or even decopage techniques. A lot of times though, I simply free-hand it. I painted both my daughters rooms simply by eye. Hannah's room is based off of The Little Mermaid, complete with fish, seaweed, and a ceiling full of stars. Emma's room is a bit more girly. I painted an indoor garden for her with Sweet Peas and Sunflowers climbing a picket fence and birds flying into a painted wooden birdhouse (I sell painted birdhouses in my Etsy shop!).

Business Goals and Vision...
I would LOVE to be able to create beautiful things for children! Just thinking about how my creations could be something that a baby boy or girl could grow up with on their wall makes me smile and so proud!

Long term, I would love to see me business grow; perhaps expand and do some craft shows or even have my goods in some stores located across the country. That would be really exciting!

How do you market your business?
www.indiepublic.com
http://groups.yahoo.com

What inspires you?
My children-- they are my inspiration! It's amazing to see their little personalities grow and become more developed. The colors or fabrics they love, all bring me inspiration! I love looking through fabric stores for new prints or designs to mimic. Just the other day Hannah had a shirt on it with monkey faces on it-- that's my nest design-- letters with monkey faces!

Who is your favorite musical artist? (click to link to a video)
Shooter Jennings "4th of July"

What are two of your favorite things from your shop?
The "NOEL" letters just in time for Christmas. They just came out so cute- love them! (pictured to the right)
and my "A to Z" Bookends. I have seen these used with a child's initials, and thought they would be super cute with an A and Z! These can be personalized with a certain color or design too!

Am a fan of these places...

I just love this shop... The items is this store are all so beautifully made! Just gorgeous handmade goods! www.allthenumbers.etsy.com

Fertility Friend... I had some trouble conceiving my second daughter and this website really helped a lot. Talking to other women going through some of the same fertility issues was so therapeutic. www.fertilityfriend.com

www.craigslist.com I love, love the stuff you can find locally on this site! Amazing -- and it changes by the minute!

The following sites are for traveling- I love to try to find bargains out there in the travel world! Especially kid-friendly travel!
www.travelzoo.com
www.tripadvisor.com
www.indiepublic.com This site is great to meet other artists or bloggers interested in promoting their ideas and goods! It has been so helpful in setting up my store sites!

Find seller at...
www.eandhdesigns.etsy.com

West Corinth Studio

It's Tuesday and I am excited to introduce you to another "earth-friendly" seller- Heidi Shaulis and Issac Willis of West Corinth Studio. They reside in the same house and virtual shop -even though they work with different mediums they both keep it green in art and life....

Name
Isaac Willis and Heidi Shaulis

Location
Corinth, Vermont

Business Name
West Corinth Studio

Describe what you sell.
Folk art. Heidi produces mainly oil on canvas original paintings, and various reproductions of her images on recycled and hemp papers. Isaac is a woodworker, and buildseverything from jewelry boxes to electric guitars.

What is your real life like?
We live in a tiny little house on top of a hill surrounded by very wild woods. We get lots of organic produce from our garden and pick gallons of berries in the summer. Winter is harsh, with lots of shoveling, but as long as the power doesn't go out we have DSL and Direct TV. Isaac and the boys play guitar and Heidi devotes much time to her dog, Bea and her 6 cats.

What is your process?
Isaac does pretty much everything by hand. He uses only sustainably harvested north american species of wood and lots of salvagedand/or recycled material. Finishes are organic and everything is a one of a kind.

Business Goals and Vision...
Right now, all energy is focused on finishing Heidi's painting studio. It is a passive solar design and we've made it a priority to use as many recycled and sustainable products where possible and within our tight budget. ( Pictures of the studio progress can be seen on Heidi's blog; http://heidishaulis.blogspot.com.) Having a dedicated workspace will enhance her ability to produce a variety of new products. Isaac will be building more guitars as well as guitar stands and related gear shortly.

How do you market your business?
We are currently marketing exclusively on Etsy, but we do have many wonderful, regular customers who have been with us for years.

What inspires you?
Most of our inspiration comes from the natural world. Our favorite place has always been Vermont, mostly for it's natural setting. On our little hill inspiration abounds.

What are two of your favorite things from your shop?
Isaac's favorite is Eat Your Heart Out, semi hollow electric guitar (first picture)
Heidi's is The Sheep Next Door, framed original oil painting. (second picture)

Am a fan of these places...
Hinessight.com for current news
We check daily http://forecast.weather.gov; the National Weather Service website, so we can plan our outdoor work/activity
RedRiverPaper.com for 100% recycled Greenpix paper
Greenfieldpaper.com for hemp paper
There are too many great stores on Etsy to narrow down to any favorites...we love the whole site and also the forums are fun.

Find seller at...
Our work is for sale in our etsy shop; www.westcorinthstudio.etsy.com, and we also have an informational website at www.westcorinthstudio.com