Monday Spotlight On: Mona of MonasBox

Okay, so I know it's not Monday.  I've been a little distracted with wedding stuff and the fact that I leave for Florida to get married in less than a week.  I'll be lucky if I even get my Monday interview up next week.  I need to figure out how to write and save these things for later....

This week, I interviewed Mona, an Etsy crafter who stays at home taking care of her children and uses the skills she picked up as a child to make lovely bags and more.  You can visit her shop here.   If you'd like to know who was the winner of March's Giveaway Wednesday, make sure to read all the way to end of this post!

Tell us about yourself, anything you think is worth knowing.
I have been a stay at home Mom since getting laid off 2 years ago, and have used my extra time to my advantage.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70068049/yellow-with-coral-and-pleated-tote

What is your medium and how did you get into it?
I learned to sew and make jewelry from my Mom, who was a crafter herself and as I child I always helped her make her product and go to art fairs. Now I make more bags and children's clothes, and have always loved the design aspect of creating. I also love being able to stay home with my 3 year old son while I do this.


Where do you take your inspiration from?
I spent my college years in San Francisco and love being fashion forward. Anything I see that I love gives me the inspiration to work from. I probably get most of my inspiration from my own experience of needs. For example, I make large bags and always use my own bags, but have you ever lost your keys in your bag? I make key chain coin purses and have a custom clip inside my bag to attach them too so I can always find them. Or having a child, I know what is needed in a diaper bag, maybe a changing mat with a pillow padding? Done! 


What is your favorite piece of art you've created and why?
As for a favorite piece, they change so often. One of my first bags is one of my favorites and I used it so much that even after washing, it's too dirty to sell, so I guess I have to keep it.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66129918/elegant-clutch-for-bridal-party-or

If you could have one person living/dead own a piece of your art, who would it be and why? 
One person who's style I absolutely love is Zoe Deschanel, and if she was into one of my bags, I would be so happy! Both her and her sister in Bones are very cute in there individuality, yet fashionably forward.
One piece of advice you've picked up along the way that you'd like to share (can be about anything: advertising, finding inspiration, etc). 
Do what you love, and love what you do" and life will be great! 
_____________________________________________________________
The winner of March's Giveaway Wednesday for a choice of a notecard set of Sway or Magnolia cards is Susan of www.susanwalkerart.blogspot.com.  Make sure to pop by her blog to congratulate her and check out her lovely illustrations!

Giveaway Wednesday: Magnolia or Sway Cards

It's that time of the month again...no, the other time, the one people actually like.  It's Giveaway Wednesday.   This time the winner will have the pick of either a set of four of my new magnolia cards (which come in turquoise and orange):

Or a set of my new Sway cards, which come in dark yellow and blue.

The rules are as follows, and are a lot like last month:

1.  Go to my Etsy store here, find your favorite listing and copy the link for it into a comment at the bottom of this post.   Also comment as to whether, if you won, you would prefer Sway or Magnolia cards.

2.  Wait.  This time you have until Monday, March 14th at midnight.  I will announce the winner next Wednesday.

3.  Only one comment per entrant please.

4.  I will once again tally up the number of comments and use a random number generator to determine the winner.  If I cannot contact the winner within 24 hours, I will select another winner the same way. 

Let the commenting begin!

NOTE: I have decided to extend the opportunity to win these cards until NEXT Monday at midnight, so please, send your friends this way!

First Official Giveaway Wednesday

Starting today and continuing the tradition on every second Wednesday of every month (barring vacation, illness or unforeseen whatever), I will be doing a giveaway here on my blog. I'll try to make it something different every month.  This month we'll be starting with a set of four of my brand new Fiddlehead Fern cards (so new they aren't even in my Etsy store yet):

The rules are as follows:

1.  You must go to my Etsy store here, find something you love and post a link to it in the comments.

2.  You have until noon on Friday, February 11th.  

3.  You may not be a family member, soon-to-be-family member or close personal friend.  I'll just ignore your comment.  You may also not comment more than once.  Repeat comments will be deleted.

4.  After noon on Friday I will count up all the comments and use a random number generator to determing the winner, who will then be emailed, and once reached via email, will also be announced here on the blog.  

5.  In the event the winner has not been contacted in 48 hours, I will generate a new number and pick a new winner. If THAT person, doesn't respond, I'll presume the Universe wants me to keep the cards.

Let the commenting begin!

ADDENDUM:  Rule Number Three only applies to super-super-close friends. If I don't hang out with you on a weekly basis, rule three doesn't apply to you.  It's basically for people I would give free stuff to anyway.