Friday Feature: BeanSprout Studios

1. Tell us about you and your shop.
My name is Amy Jazwinski, and I've been a seller on Etsy almost since it's inception! I started my first etsy shop (a jewelry shop) at http://ajazwinski.etsy.com in November of 2005. I've seen Etsy go through many changes and grow into the large community it is today. It's been an exciting journey to watch Etsy grow, and my business as well. In September of 2008, I opened my second etsy shop- Bean Sprout Studio. My second etsy shop was created for my digital greeting cards, including everything from birth announcements, to calling cards, to wedding invitations and save the dates.

My background is all business- I have a Bachelors Degree in business marketing, and I work full time in the exciting world of corporate insurance broking. I'd love to be one the Etsy "Quit Your Day Job" features some day!

2. How did you get started in your craft?
I wish I could say that I was the crafty type from birth, but my creative side was apparently suppressed for many years. It wasn't until I graduated from college, and actually had time for a hobby that I started exploring this side of myself. In 2002 I started designing jewelry, and immediately fell in love with all things crafty. I love different colors and textures, and combining them in unique ways.

In March of 2008, I gave birth to my first child- a little girl! After she was born, I started playing around with digital scrapbooking, and decided to design a birth announcement for her on my own. It turned out great, and shortly thereafter my friends started asking me to design birth announcements for their kids, and then party invitations, and before you knew it- I was in business! With support the support of my friends, and a little self-taught design skill, I opened Bean Sprout Studio.

Many times people wonder where I got the name "Bean Sprout"- it's actually named after my daughter. When she was a newborn, so loved to sleep all curled up on her stomach like a little bean pod. We started calling her "Bean" as a nickname, and it stuck. Since my design "career" started with her birth announcement, I wanted the name to reflect her. Since this was my second etsy shop, I kind of felt like it was a "sprout" off the first one- hence "Bean Sprout Studio".

3. What tool can you not live without?
Since my designs are all done digitally, my can't-live-without tool is Photoshop CS4. At this point in my design career, I should probably expand into using Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, but photoshop is like a pair of old comfortable jeans for me now. I'm comfortable with it, so I just continue on.

I also can't live without my new MacBook Pro laptop. With the proceeds from my shop, I was able to upgrade back in June to a Mac from a PC. I absolutely love it, and it's SO much faster than my old PC. I'm now a converted "Mac person", and will never go back to PC.

4. What inspires you?
Colors and textures are my inspiration. I will see a shirt or pattern in a store, and instantly the wheels in my head will start turning. I frequently sketch out designs that will just randomly pop into my head. Since I do a lot of designing for babies and kids, I also search places like Pottery Barn Kids and other stores for inspiration. My Seuss-ish Announcement was inspired by Pottery Barn's adorable Dr. Seuss line they recently carried for nurseries.

And of course, my customers are my inspiration. I love doing custom orders for people, because their vision inspires my creativity. Some of my favorite designs in my shop were created for a custom order.

5. Name one favorite item from your store

It's always hard for me to pick my favorite, because it's usually the most recent thing I've designed! But if I'm forced to choose, I'd say right now it's my Harlow Holiday Card. I'm probably biased on the design because I just love that photo of my daughter, but I also like a different color combination for the holidays besides red and green.