monkeysalwayslook

air

 

The Air Plant Craze hasn't escaped me! From the top MSK, drormiler, and Pigeon Toe Ceramics.

carl kleiner

 

I can just look at these photographs all day long from Carl Kleiner. Check out his blog too!

animal clothes

 
I just love dogs in clothes, cats in clothes and in fact, any animal in clothes! From the top Bean!, BatCat Cat Sweater, and a Ferret Hoodie. 

flake

Wilson A Bentley snow crystal photographs which date back to the end of the 19th century. Via pia jane bijkerk.

in da house - nina glaser (with GIVEAWAY!)

 

 
This week I am so excited to introduce Nina Glaser and her etsy shop ninaglaser. Nina has generously offered to give this week’s lucky winner a set of 8 I Heart You Gift Tags. To enter, cruise on over to ninaglaser and pick a favorite listing, then return here to tell us what it is. One entry per person, please. The winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday, February 9th. Now read on!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, you know, the boring stuff. Where you live, married, single, spinster, polygamist, kids, pets, three thumbs, etc.
Hi, I'm Nina! I'm from New York, but I've been living in Baltimore for the last few years. I'm not married, but I'm not single ;) I'm 26 years old and I only have two thumbs. I'm thinking that if I had three thumbs though, my production time would be a lot faster!

How long have you been making your craft?
I went to college for illustration and graduate school for painting, which I've been doing since I was a kid. After I finished grad school last year, I wanted to get more into the design side of things. I felt that the patterns I was creating for my paintings would be really cool on paper goods and housewares, which brought me to experimenting with silk screening and block printing. I was getting the results that I was hoping for (and even some happy surprises), so I basically haven't stopped since!

What are some of the struggles you face trying to get sales and how have you overcome that or how do you plan to over come it?
I think the challenge is that Etsy is a community of so many creative people, shops tend to get lost in the crowd. I'm learning just how important it is to advertise outside of Etsy.

What is your favorite part about your business?
I love that I get to run all the aspects of my business. It's so fulfilling to design something, print it, photograph it, and then ship it out to the customer. I especially love when a customer tells me why they are buying my items! It makes it so much more real hearing about their new homes!

What is the hardest part about your business?
The hardest part is getting my name out there. I'm still pretty new at this, so I'm learning the ins and outs of Etsy, where to advertise, etc.

What is your greatest weakness/dirtiest pleasures?
I'm obsessed with those little gummy peach candies. I just cant get enough!

Who are your favorite artists/craft persons/etsy shops?
I have so many! I'll stick to some local Baltimore shops that I love: elisasherejewelry, bethpohlman, and greenstarstudio.

What are your favorite blogs?
www.poppytalk.blogspot.com
www.mintdesignblog.com
www.penelopeillustration.com
www.designspongeonline.com

Make sure you check out Nina's shop and say hi! And let's not forget that awesome giveaway, so comment on your favorite item in her shop!

Do you want to be featured in the "in da house" here on Monkeys Always Look? You do? Cool! Email me!