Focus On...Storeyshop And A Giveaway!

{{{GIVEAWAY CLOSED}}}

One of the first purchases I ever made on etsy was a hand-cut birthday card for Mike's 25th birthday. Alas, it was from a shop that is now closed, but when I went looking for similiar products, I came across Storeyshop. Helen, the founder of Storeyshop, is so talented with a knife that it's a bit scary! :) Read on for her interview and a fun giveaway!

{happy birthday, handsome}

Tell me some basic info about yourself.

Storeyshop is me, Helen Bonner. I am 28 and I live in rural Northumberland in the north east of England with my finace, Dave, who will be my husband in only 6 weeks! My childhood pet chinchilla, Seb, lives with us too. He's very old but still going strong.

{happy birthday, babe}

What kind of mediums do you use and why?

I love paper and card and it's my main medium in my work along with my tools; various different craft knives. I also like picking up lovely bright pairs of socks to make monkeys with when I am fancying a change and to work from the sofa rather than my desk!

{Happy Un-Birthday}

What made you decide to sell on etsy?

A friend at my old job (working as a designer on a national magazine) told me about Etsy when I was telling her about my dream to have a more 'hands on' creative career. I haven't looked back since. Thank you, Ann!

{super mom}

Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from all sorts of places but, for my cards, I tend to try and think of creative greetings that people might want to send to each other. I have been trying to come up with some new and original ones lately. I think what cards I'd like to send to my friends and family and go from there. I also like to just start drawing or designing and see where it ends up. Where lots of customers mention how much they like to frame my cards, I have recently been inspired to start offering personalised posters too. Customer feedback is great!

{personalized card of your choice}

What is your favorite music to craft by?

I like to listen to the radio when I am crafting with a mixture of discussion/talking and music. I have been listening to quite a lot of classical and lovey music lately too to try and pick some for our wedding!

{since sliced bread}

If you were an animal, what would you be?

If I was an animal I would be a cat. I love cats and they get to find a warm and sunny spot to snooze in all day!

{i love you more than etsy - my fave}

What's your favorite piece of your own?

My favourite piece of my own is probably my 'I love you more than cheese' card. It relates to me perfectly and other cheese-lovers seem to appreciate it too!

{i love you more than cheese}

What are your favorite blogs right now?

I read lots of blogs! I especially like Rikrak Studio, Fleur Avenue and Oh Joy! I really need to spend more time on my blog and that's the plan in the coming months.

Helen also makes super cute sock monkeys and beauty bags!

{Pink Grey and White Stripey Sock Monkey}

Storeyshop on Etsy

Storeyshop Blog

Storeyshop on Twitter

Storeyshop on Folksy
Storeyshop on Flickr
Storeyshop on Facebook

Helen has graciously offered a free card to a lucky winner! The winner may choose any card in her shop! :)

*Note, I'm changing the rules slightly from previous giveaways.*

- To be eligible for entry, you must be a follower of my blog through google friend connect or through your preferred RSS reader.

- Make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you win.

- Please leave separate comments for each entry.

First entry (mandatory):

Head over to Storeyshop and choose your favorite item. Come back here and leave a comment with your selection.

Extra entries:

 1. Follow the Storeyshop blog (it's not required, but it would be lovely if you could leave Helen an ecouraging comment!)

2. Tell me (and Helen) what sentiments you'd love to see on a card or poster.

3. Follow Storeyshop and Kate & Oli on Twitter and retweet the following: RT @ichbinseins @storeyshop giveaway alert! win a hand-cut card of your choice! http://tinyurl.com/yhq5kux

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link

5. Post on facebook about this giveaway and leave me some way to verify

Fine print: Giveaway begins when it is posted and ends at 11:59pm pacific standard time March 16, 2010. A winner will be selected by a random number generator on the morning of March 17, 2010 and will be emailed promptly. Storeyshop will ship anywhere in the world!