Etsy Artist Feature: IllusionsbyDonna

1. What is your business name and website/shop URL? What do you create?

http://www.1000markets.com/users/13070

http://www.etsy.com/shop/IllusionsbyDonna

http://www.artfire.com/users/Illusions

I create one of a kind knits and jewelry.

2. What is the theme or idea behind your website/shop?

In early 2007 I spent 3 mos in Maine painting a house for a friend. The house was mostly empty, so to give me something to do I decided I would try some knitting. I quickly became pretty much obsessed with it. Upon my return home to Indiana my best friend twisted my arm into making some jewelry. By the Fall of that year I was selling knits and jewelry to friends. I became involved with Ravelry and met a local woman on there who encouraged me to open an Etsy store and become involved with our local Farmers Market. After a few months I opened stores on 1000 Markets and Artfire also.

3. What makes your items unique?
I have a background in art and as a decorative painter so color is my life. I get a lot of compliments on my color choices. Trying to do most things one of a kind keeps me looking for fresh ideas. I love making things that no one else has.

4. What is your favorite item on your website or in your shop right now?
I made the Horsey Hat as a special order for a girl I was working with one evening. I love the way it turned out. She was ecstatic! In jewelry, the Organic Leaf earrings are one of my favorites. They are very simple and pretty. I’ve been very surprise that they haven’t sold. I made a pair of earrings for my daughter on those ear posts and she gets a lot of compliments on them.

5. What teams do you belong to? How do we search for their items?
On Etsy I belong to the INCrowd team. Items can be found by putting the tag incrowdteam in the search box.

6. What is your favorite thing about handmade items?
Finding things that are one of a kind and knowing that someone put a piece of themselves into each piece.

7. Do you have any favorite finds by other handmade artists?

Omigosh! There are so many. I get the Etsy Finds emails and I’m constantly finding things that make me go WOW!! The creativity that I see is just amazing. Some things I see I just would never have thought of myself.

8. Do you have anything else you would like to share? Other links?

One of my hats was featured in a handmade blog called Meylah for green things having to do with St Patricks Day. That is the first time I’ve ever been asked to do anything like this so it is pretty exciting for me.

http://meylah.com/blog/212/Going-Green-8-Products-to-Celebrate-St-Patricks-Day