From Massachusetts Zooguu

Ladies and Gentlemen , I am introducing you this week Zooguu and her lovely, fun, vibrant and colorful shop. Her designs are so unique and every piece is custom order. She works from her studio at Massachusetts with her husband and they create these wonderful unique plush toys for you or your loved ones. Please enjoy this wonderful artist's answers...

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

J: My name is Jen Gubicza. The business name is a combination of two things: "Zoo" for animals, and "Guu" for Gubicza.

S:When did you start your business?

J: I started selling my plush in January 2006, under the shop name "sweetestpea". I changed the name to Zooguu a couple of years ago when I started doing this full time and really thought about my business and where I wanted to take things.

S: What are your motivations /inspirations in creating your work?

J: I love making things with my hands. There's a satisfaction in knowing that you've created something that someone will enjoy. I love hearing stories from my customers and finding out what people have named their new friends. It's wonderful to be able to create a physical, hug-able object and make it exactly I want it to be. I also really enjoy being my own boss and making my own hours.

S: Tell us about your daily routines.

J: I usually sew most of the day. My husband traces and cuts out the animals I need to make, and I work on them throughout the week. It's wonderful to work with him, because he helps keep me organized, and we can set goals. I tend to sew by color, so it's sort-of-like a puzzle every week. I look at the animals and work out in what order I need to sew to be most efficient. At the end of every day, I enter the animals made into a master spreadsheet to I can track everything. When an animal sells, I also put that date in and where it's going. At some point, I'll make a map on my website of where all of Zooguu animals live. Another part of my routine is to get out of the house and take a nice walk every day.

S:What is your favorite book?

J: I think I've had the most enjoyment from the Harry Potter series in recent years.

S: What was your last travel destination?

J: I just got back from a short trip to Maine, and I frequently travel to New York. We do craft shows every week, and we usually travel out of state at least once a month.

S: What do you do to relax?

J: Sitting on the back deck with a glass of wine on a summer evening is pretty great. We also enjoy going to see performances at the Symphony.

***GIVEAWAY***

Jen was so generous to offer any of her ornaments from her etsy shop for her giveaway. If you want to be a lucky winner please follow the steps. It is pretty simple!

Please visit her etsy shop and post a comment under this post with the LINK of your favorite item from her shop and please don't forget to add your email address.

http://Zooguu.etsy.com

Please also follow my blog.

The giveaway will end August 8th at midnight! The winner will be chosen using http://www.random.org/

From Connecticut SeaFindDesigns

This week I am hosting wonderful artist from Connecticut, SeaFindDesigns. She is artistically using genuine sea glasses into her art , jewelry... Her shop is proud to be eco friendly and well deserved success. Please join me to get to know her better...

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

T: My name is Tracy and my shop is named Sea Find Designs for obvious reasons, most of my jewelry is made with objects I find on local beaches washed in from the sea. When I first started my business, I wanted a catchy easy to associate name, that didn't lock my designs to just jewelry.

S:When did you start your business?

T: I started selling jewelry locally more than ten years ago, to friends and family, word of mouth...but then Etsy came around and it opened a whole new world.

S: What are your motivations /inspirations in creating your work?

T: I say this in every interview I've ever done, and it's TRUE... ADHD is a huge motivator... I laugh every time I say it... but, I really can't stop creating... my mind travels at 200mph... I think being at the beach calms me down and inspires me to create... otherwise I'd go a little loopy!

S: Tell us about your daily routines.

T: I work from home so I guess I'm a bit boring... I spend most of my day creating and listing at Etsy... I go to beach with my family as much as I can, and to keep my sanity, I work about twice a month at my local Emergency room. It's the only place I get to talk to "big people".

S:What is your favorite book?

T: This is a tough one... I've been reading a lot more inspirational books lately and poetry... Anything written by The Dalai Lama or Pablo Neruda's Love Poems.

S: What was your last travel destination?

T: I am on my way to Malibu, California next week to attend my lovely niece's wedding! It's my favorite place on Earth...and she's one of my favorite people!! Yay!

S: What do you do to relax?

T: I work to relax... I go to beach... but my favorite is to hang out with my kids... I have a son Matthew 16 yo and a daughter Emma 14yo... They're wicked cool!

S: What do you suggest to other Etsian sellers to have success in their shops?

T: Amazing pictures... and believe it or not, my customers tell me they come to shop to read... I use my shop like a blog, so you never know what I'll say!!! Oh... and BE NICE!

From Georgia Myfinch

This week, my guest is from the state of Georgia, myFinch. She is photographer by day and and craftwoman by night... Her work is elegant and shows that she loves what she is doing. Here is some more interesting facts about her and her shop....

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

A: My name is Alyssa. I wanted a finch. My husband wanted a puppy. The puppy won and then I started my lovely, little shop.

S:How did you start your business?

A: MyFinch began late in 2008. Friends began to buy pieces I had made for my own home. When I looked around and realized it was very dim inside, and had very few lighting fixtures remaining. Then I thought, maybe others would like a chance to browse my craftsman house.

S: What are your motivations /inspirations in creating your work?

A: I enjoy composition and shape. Lately, I have been exploring more of the architectural aspects of lighting though textures.

S: Tell us about your daily routines.

J: By the day, I am a fine art wedding photographer. I work in my pajamas, start with my inbox, some Chai, and usually begin editing several hours...bills/housework/more editing... waiting for my husband to come home...Then, he's home! On to running with the puppies, dinner, and personal projects- this is where my shop comes in!

S:What is your favorite book?

A: The Chronicles of Narnia.

S: What was your last travel destination?

A: The Grand Bohemian in Asheville, North Carolina. We photographed a winter wedding there.

S: What do you do to relax?

A: I cook. I garden. I walk. I pray. And I sleep in far too late.

***DISCOUNT***

Alyssa was so generous to offer 10% discount on the 14" by 10" drum shades, the most popular ones until August 30th. Just mention "Floweredsky" blog on the message to seller section.

http://MyFinch.etsy.com

From New Jersey Jessica's Design Shop

Please welcome my last guest from New Jersey , Jessica's Design Shop.She is a graphic designer with a background of architecture. After she designed her own wedding stationary , she got so many compliments and decided to help other brides with her designs. Her creations are not only functional but also very elegant.

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

J: My name is Jessica. I don't really have much of a story behind the name of my shop, it's where I create my designs so it's my design shop.

S:How did you find Etsy and what made you join to Etsy?

J: My cousin crochets and she has a shop here on Etsy. I started mu business through my blog and it became very popular right away so I wanted to get more exposure. After doing some research, I found that Etsy seemed like the right fit for me.

S: What inspires you in creating your work?

J: My education is in architecture and I think that a lot of my work comes from that. Maybe not so much the motifs, but definitely the composition of my designs.

S: We would love to hear your daily routines if there is any.

J: My daily routine is quite busy. Without too much detail, I take care of my baby and work. There is usually a trip to the post office and UPS in between. And I try to watch a little tv at night if I can.

S:What is your favorite book?

J: OK, my favorite book at this point in my life is Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy. I guess I am in total baby mode, but this book helped me through this past year and I really enjoyed it.

S: What was your last travel destination?

J: Walt Disney World.

S: What do you do to relax?

J: Umm, I don't know how to anymore!!!!

S: Do you have any suggestions to a new Etsian seller in creating and maintaining their shop?

J: Renew, renew, renew and make sure your photos are good.