1. Please tell us your name business name & where you are based.
My name is Kayleigh O'Mara, which I suppose you could say is also the name of my business. I recently moved to London, having lived in Lancashire most of my life and the last couple of years in Leeds.
2. What do you create and how would you describe your style?
I create illustrated crafts, mainly brooches, earrings and greetings cards – and hope to eventually be making all types of stationery and soft toys as well. I very recently designed the invitations for my boyfriend's sister's wedding, and was very pleased with the results. So this is another area I'm looking to possibly move into. I would describe my style as simplistic and fun with childlike qualities. I achieve this with basic line drawings and bold digital colour – I've never enjoyed drawing in a realistic way.
3. How did you get into making and do you make a living out of your creations?
I've always loved drawing and making, so my obvious decision was to do an illustration degree. I was taking part in a fair at university, and I'd just been introduced to shrink plastic. So I decided to make a few brooches and to my surprise they sold really quickly. Since then, it's been a great combination of doing something I love and making a bit of pocket money. Unfortunately, It's still just a hobby at the moment – I have a day job in the city which helps pay the bills.
4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you’ve worked on?
My favourite piece of work to date is a children's book I wrote and illustrated, called This Is Owl. It was 'highly commended' in the Macmillan Book Prize competition in 2009. There's a
video of the book on YouTube if you want to see what I'm talking about!
5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do?
I would love to have my own little shop, where I would showcase my work alongside all the creations of my favourite illustrators and crafters.
6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?
I think the best advice I could give anyone is to establish an online presence. Start with a Folksy or Etsy shop and document your work-in-progress on a blog. You should also use all the social networks to promote your work. The internet is the best tool at our disposal – it's cheap to start-up online, and there's really no limit to what you can achieve. But you have to be prepared to put in lots of hours!
Quick fire round. These
questions a just for fun to help us get an idea of the kind of things you like.
Pick 1 answer from each of the following. If you don’t fancy either just choose
the 1 you most prefer:
1. Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash?
Bob Dylan – but I do love the trumpets on "Ring of Fire"
2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia?
If I had to choose, it would be Narnia – because it's got big talking animals in it.
3. Lasagne or Moussaka?
My homemade lasagne
4. Knit or sew?
I can't do either very well – but I'd love to be able to knit myself a jumper.
5. Pen or pencil?
Pen – pencil's too easy to rub out when things go wrong.
6. Cut or paste?
Probably cut. I spend hours cutting out my designs ready for shrinking!
7. Mug or Cup?
Cup to look fancy, but mug for a big old everyday brew.
8. Half full or half empty?
Half empty. I'm a terrible pessimist, but I'm trying to change.
9. Mac or PC?
Mac all the way! I'm not a PC.
10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston
? Cath Kidston
.
To scope out more of Kayleigh's charming little designs get yourself onto her
"Oh My' Folksy shop or take a look at the
'O My Illustrations blog' where you can also see Kayleigh's super sweet illustrations.
Awesome work Kayleigh! Thank you for sharing
