• Tell me a bit about yourself

I’m Mandy! I currently reside in Springfield, Missouri and work at a pottery shop. I’ve been dreaming of starting my own business for a few years now and to finally do it has been amazing! I’ve been a member on Etsy since March 11th [one month anniversary!] and am a proud member of EtsyU, CAST, EtsyHookers, and SSODS My Etsy shop is “The Bag Doll”

• Please describe your creative process

I tend to be inspired by other people. I’ll take a little bit of this, mix it with some of that, and add a dash of my own creativity to make something really unique! I love working with yarns, buttons, beads, felt, and I really like appliqué.

• What inspires you?

My mother is a big inspiration to me. I’ve learned everything I know from her and she comes up with the cutest ideas. I also buy crocheting idea books and look stuff up online, and then I’ll alter the pieces a bit to make them something new. And occasionally something will pop into my head that turns out to be really fun! :]

• How did you get into your craft?

My mother taught me how to crochet a few years ago when I was a sophomore in high school, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Ever since then I’ve been teaching myself new patterns and looking up everything I can on different projects. Also, the Fashion Design class I took my senior year helped me get into appliqué and sewing which is a big part of my craft now.

• Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I’m taking a break from school, so right now I’m having fun working at a pottery shop. In my spare time I enjoy reading, poetry, discovering new bands, spending time with my mom, shopping at thrift stores and flea markets, taking random pictures, and driving around singing Savage Garden song very loudly in my car.

• How do you promote your work?

I have an Etsy mini on my facebook, myspace, and xanga, I leave my business cards everywhere, and I post a lot in the Etsy forums.

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