Friday, February 6, 2009

Friday's Featured Etsy Seller--Inkpony!


Love, love, love this shop! I'm gradually making the switch to making my own household more organic, and while I started with cleaning supplies, disposable items, etc., I'm starting on clothing now when possible. In their own words, Inkpony "creates stylish, organic goods 'for you and your babe.' " Their shop is pretty amazing (and very affordable for organic wear!), and I love how much I learned about these fellow Moms and sellers through this interview. Enjoy!

-What is your shop name and URL?
inkpony. We are the ponies of ink. Happy ponies, of ink.

-Tell me two (or more!) interesting things about you. (Hobbies, achievements, favorite something-or-other, family situation, jobs, etc)
Erica: I love to travel…have been to 10 (maybe more?) different countries, and have lived all over the us of a. I love yoga…it is my life…it helps me live, breathe, be. I have way cool parents. I hate scary movies…nightmares.
Juliana: That one's a bit hard to narrow down...tsss. Each of us have our own interests + quirks. we're both mothers (Erica's baby girl, Ajna, will be one at the end of this month and Juliana's baby boy, Alasdair, is creeping up on 19 months and she's due with a little lady in April), which always makes life much more interesting. In addition to fueling inkpony, Erica devotes her time to yoga and the djembe. Juliana devotes most of her time to tony chachere's cajun spice. yum.

-What do you sell in your Etsy shop?
Juliana: We sell "conscious art for you and your babe," which breaks down to: stylish screenprinted stuff. organic onesies + tshirts, yoga mat bags, tote bags, snuggly rag quilt blankets, changing pads... Have an idea? We'll give it a shot.
Erica: Conscious, wearable art for you and your babe.

-To which Etsy Street Teams do you belong (if any)?
We belong to the naturalkids team. It rocks--all natural, baby.

-What inspires your creations?
Juliana: Our babes, mainly. We were inspired to create stylish duds that were as good for the environment as they were for our own babies. a desire to find more 'urban' kids clothing fused with organic goodness led us to screenprinting + creating our own. Now we love the process, and particularly love getting that goodness out there.
Erica: life, people, situations, suggestions, each other, the heat of the moment

-Tell me a bit about your creative process and/or how you learned to do what you do.
Erica: Internet, asking questions, forums (Ju is good at that one), other people, trial and error, fly by the seat of my pants.
Juliana: We learned to "do what we do" through tutorials and imagination. The process of screenprinting is actually quite involved and time consuming. throughout different layers of the process, we had to adapt and learn different things. As you do in any creative process, I suppose. To produce a screen, which produces a print, you first have to create/sit through all of the following: a design, sizing, transfer, frame, screen, emulsion, dry, burn, rinse...it's a beautiful process that has led us to patience and more and more creativity.

-What is your favorite item in your shop (currently for sale or previously sold)?
Erica: I have to choose 1! hmmm… yoga bag (active listing) and gray onesie w/ red camera print (sold). That’s 2…I know.
Juliana: Tough call. really. I have a boy and I'm pregnant with a little girl. right now, I'm digging the organic red dandelion onesie. That pops to mind without even viewing the site. I also really love anything seahorse...

-Why is it your favorite? (Please provide a link)
Erica: I worked really hard on the bag http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19455279 and that was one of my favorite onesies ever…since I HAD to choose http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=11867642
Juliana: It's simple and subtle. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18569824 -

-What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
Juliana: eager, imaginative and easy-going
Erica: strong, innovative, fun-loving

-What do you like about Etsy?
Erica: The community…that everything is handmade…you can get to know the people you buy from.
Juliana: Coming across all the amazing handmade goods + super stylish sellers.

-What makes your shop unique?
Juliana: We're organic. We have color. And we have killer prints. That's unique to the world of babies.
Erica: Hmmmm…again…tough for me to narrow it down…our onesie color selection and screenprint design selection are pretty out of this world…haven’t seen anything like it yet.

-What advice do you have for other folks selling or buying on Etsy?
Erica: Make your presence known.
Juliana: Sellers: it can take some time to get going. We're still slow-going. Participate in forums and get your name out there using applications like twitter, facebook, etc. (all the silly things). Buyers: keep buying!

-Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations (please include a link)?Juliana: We have a (super-duper novice) website. It's basic, but it's us... for now. http://www.inkpony.com/. We have posted a cool movie, and soon you'll be able to see more photos, too. You can also check out what we love and love to do at: http://www.inkpony.wordpress.com/.

No comments: