EtsyGreetings Handmade Cards

This week's featured shop is Little b Bunny.




1. Tell us about you and your shop.

I opened my shop in January, after several months of trying to convince myself to do it. I named the shop after my daughter Brennan. I called her LB, Little b and Bunny all of the time, so "Little b Bunny" seemed appropriate. I sell a variety of paper goods, but my focus remains on greeting cards. I make a lot of blank cards that can be used for any occasion, but I also try to create a few holiday specific ones.

2.How did you get started in your craft?

I am a stay at home mom, cultural anthropologist and writer. I am working on my dissertation on gender and immigration, spending time with my daughter and obsessing over my etsy shop, of course. I would love to do this full-time, but my business isn't yet at the point where it will be possible.

3. What is your favorite material or tool?

I began paper crafting when I wanted to make some Christmas gifts in 2007. I decided to make scrapbooks for several family members, and I was immediately hooked! After Christmas, I began making cards to give to people for birthdays and they were really popular. After a period of time, I started to think about opening an etsy shop, having loved it since I found some beautiful art quilts. I built up some stock and then convinced myself that I was ready.

4. Where do you get your design inspiration from?

Although it takes a fair amount of time, I love to quill, so I guess I would say my quilling tool and quilling paper are my favorite tool and material, respectively. My quilling tends to be simple items, such as flowers and I use them to embellish the fronts of cards. I hope to expand to eventually make the kind of artwork I see on the quilling list serve, but I'm a long way off from that point.

I get inspiration from a variety of sources. When I make cards for family members, I am inspired by my relationships with them and often make a version of that card to sell in my shop. The seasons inspire me. In spring, I like to do flowers and butterflies, but, in the fall, I start thinking of trees and using autumnal colors. I guess everything around me provides inspiration at some point or another.