Pleased to meet you. Interview #9 Gingermelon

1. Please tell us your name business name & where you are based.
My name is Shelly and my little business is called Gingermelon.  I live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada with my hubby and two teenage boys.

2. What do you create and how would you describe your style? 


I design and create felt plush dolls and animals and offer patterns of my creations for those who'd like to make them.  It is my mission to inspire a love of sewing and making things hand made:)

3. How did you get into making?
I've always been fascinated with Japanese crafts, especially anything in the style of Anime and Kawaii, and try to convey that sweet, innocent style in my work. 



4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you’ve worked on?


I'd have to say that my favourite project so far has been the collection of twelve Fairy Tale Dolls I recently did.  It was quite a challenge, but so worth it in the end!  I'm currently working on a similar project - the International Dolls, and am hoping to have a collection of eight of them. 

5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do? 
My ultimate goal is to inspire others to make the leap and see how fun it is to create something hand made.  There is such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment once you've made something from your own hands!

6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?

Not sure how to answer this question...  But I will say that excellent customer service is of utmost importance!  Also, I believe in providing my customers with only the best of what I can do.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist and want everything I create to reflect on that.  Another key tip is to have great pics of your creations!  Keep backgrounds simple and clean and focus on getting a great photo using different angles or layouts.  There are a number of free photo editing sites on the internet that are wonderful for correcting and enhancing your photo's.

 


















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? 

Johnny Cash



2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia? 
Harry Potter

3. Lasagne or Moussaka? 

Moussaka

4. Knit or sew?
Sew

5. Pen or pencil? Pencil



6. Cut or paste? 

Cut

7. Mug or Cup?
Mug

8. Half full or half empty?
Half full :)



9. Mac or PC? 

PC

10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston
?
Cath Kidston

If you love Shelly's work as much as i do follow her beautiful GingerMelonDolls blog to keep on top of all her new adventures. You can also follow Shelly on Facebook and on Flickr where you can view lots of gorgeous photos of her makes.
To get your mitts on Gingermelon creations you can visit the shop on either of the following links: Etsy, Luulla, Zibbet or Big Cartel.

A MASSIVE thank you to the lovely Shelly for taking part. I have admired her work for ages and its been an absolute pleasure to feature it on my humble blog.