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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Getting to Know Us at Blockhead Radio!

Getting to know the Possum!

Name: Amy
User Name/Shop Name: mamaslittlemonkeys/fleurdeink
Shop URLs/Website URLS:
www.mamaslittlemonkeys.com

www.fleurdeink.com
http://blog.mamaslittlemonkeys.com
www.cafepress.com/momsmonkeys
What type of art do you do? Sewn items for adults and children, soaps, graphic designs (Mama's Little Monkeys)
Flower Pens (Fleur De Ink)
Custom Clothing, Coffee Mugs, etc, (Cafepress)
How did you get started in your art? Honestly, out of necessity! I started cloth diapering my second son at 3 months and could NOT find any cute cloth wipes (I had yet to really find Etsy at this point, or even know about the handmade movements!). So I decided to try my hand at sewing my own. I bought a sewing machine off ebay and I was hooked! Flower pens naturally came later because in my former life as a teacher, we LOVED flower pens because people were always stealing our pens and it's a little harder to steal a pen with a big flower on it..plus it's way more fun to write a lesson plan with a pen with a big huge rose on it!
Where do you draw your inspiration? For my sewn items, from my kids, friends, and often the fabric I use. I have what you might call a fabric obsession. It's quite out of hand. And now the soaping obsession is building. For the flower pens, really whatever is pretty! I can't garden to save my life (literally, my family would die if they depended on me to grow food!), so I love flowers I can't kill AND are functional! I need an extra room to store all my supplies!
What are your main obstacles in your art? TIME! I often feel torn between work, kids, husband, house, etc. Obviously house cleaning is the first thing to go when I'm short on time! I mean, we're not living in a pigsty or those houses on "Clean House", but Martha would not be pleased...plus, hey, 2 kids under 4, EH, my house is just NOT gonna be picture perfect!
How did you find BHR? I am ashamed to say I really don't remember!! I THINK I found it becuase of the SNS, Witching Hours thread! (Shhh don't tell the boss that I can't remember!)
Are you a member of the Pluggers United Team? Yuppers! I'm mamaslittlemonkeys there too, and proudly proclaim my love for pluggers in my shops profiles!
What is on your wish list of handmade items? What would you LOVE to have, money being no object? Oh my gosh. Too much stuff. Probably some lovely wooden toys from www.banished.etsy.com, EVERYTHING in www.aebaby.etsy.com, All handmade soaps! Seriously, the wish list is huge. Oh and anything in www.glutenada.com YUM
What is one art/craft you'd love to learn to do? I would love to learn cold process soap one day. I enjoy melt and pour and am quite busy with it as is, but at this point we do not have the physical space for me properly do CP or HP soap, and also with the small kids around, I'm thinking clumsy me and lye are not good combos?
What is your 'off air' job/life? Family? Kids? Well, I am always a wife and mother first...(those kids are around here somewhere...) In my former life I was an early childhood education teacher, I worked with special needs kids, my husband is a mechanic..oh excuse me, automotive technician. I am conversationially fluent in American Sign Language (yes I can curse in ASL), I'm 5'12" and NO I did NOT play basketball. I love all things chocolate, coffee, and martini (in no particular order.) I LOVE "Lost" and will miss every Wed. night BHR show until Lost is off..I'm sorry..I've made it 5 years with those ppl, I must see it through! I used to want to be a writer once upon a time and dreamed of moving to New York City! I eat to live, I do not live to eat (unless it's above mentioned 3 foods), and I do NOT eat seafood!! I also have Celiac DIsease and run the local support group for the Celiac Sprue Association, so that is why you see "glutenfreegirl" at the bottom of the posts!!
What is your favorite dessert? Homemade: Pamela's Gluten Free Cake Mix that I turn into this AWESOME mocha/cream cheese cake...drool. Eating out: Chocolate Thunder from Outback--its GLUTEN FREE!
What are your business goals? Fight CPSIA to the death. Reevaluate future plans and goals due to CPSIA, perfect melt and pour soaping, work local craft fairs and have 60 sales this year! :)
If you have an extra 24 hours in the day with no constraints, what would you do? Sew and Soap in PEACE! Without having to put the baby in the crib or put tv on for the 3 yr old....Blast music, have a drink and create in PEACE!
If you could meet ONE BHR crewmember or listener, who would it be and why? I'd honestly have to save I'd love to meet each and every one of you...but if you held a gun to my head I'd HAVE To meet Witchy because I can so see us cruising down Bourbon Street, slurping down Hurricanes and dying of laughter! (and McGeeky trailing behind us carrying the shopping bags....)
Shameless Plug for anything here: Shop my lovely handmade shops and PLEASE check out my Cafepress shop!!

BHR ROCKS! :)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is totally awesome.

Now I want a do over. Throw my responses away. PLEASE! I am inspired more now...LOL

I call the front seat!!!

~Lily

Anonymous said...

What totally awesome person coined you "the Opossum" Wow, they must rock!

And btw, you rock! Nice to find out more about you!

~~Sew Happy Designs~~ said...

Great to get all of the Awesome Amy quirks, I wanna hang out with you in my sewing room...will you come after the snow melts? Like maybe April? I will make you all the gluten free cookies u can eat.
Thanks for being sew awesome!
Blessings,
Cindy