Member Spotlight: Seville83

Meet Sam of Excess Baggage Solutions!

Sam specializes in handmade totes and scarves, as well as photography (check out her photography shop here).

1. What school do you attend?

I attend William Rainey Harper Junior College in Palatine, Illinois. But people here mostly just call it Harper, or the University of Southern Palatine as a joke, lol.

2. What are you currently studying?
I'm currently studying interior design. I should be done this semester actually.

3. What types of classes do you get to take? Which one is your favorite, and why?

Since the interior design field isn't all science and calculations, there aren't really any set tests that can be given, which leaves a majority of the classes required set up more like studio lab classes. So I get to take a variety of classes from 3-D model building to perspective & rendering to classes on AutoCAD. Out of the two I'm taking right now, both have the same teacher and I'd have to say that the AutoCAD for Interior Design class is my favorite, because I already took it so I get to do kind of an independent study thing.

4. What do you want to do when you get out of school?

It sounds bad that I've spent so much time (is 5 years at a community college too long? lol) on these classes even tho I have no desire to do anything in the interior design field. I've always loved being challenged mentally and creatively, so my Etsy creations are what I'll be doing when I get out of school.

5. What are some of your interests and hobbies?

I love photography, and mixing that love of photography with the lowrider car club I belong to. I ended up being voted the club photographer and I run the website for them. So I love hanging out with everybody else in the club and attempting to keep my car running. (Apparently old Cadillacs are finicky, who knew, lol). I also enjoy sewing, which is how I started up with Excess Baggage Solutions. I added some of my photography to my shop, but I'm debating whether I should just start another one for all the photographic stuff or not.

6. What is your favorite thing about college so far?

I think the same thing it's been since I started, the fact that now being told and expected to act like an adult because "I am an adult" that I finally got treated like one.

7. How do you manage your school work and Etsy shop?

I got into Etsy just over the summer, so this is the first semester I've had to multitask with it and I think I got really lucky that I only have to take two classes this semester so the work load is considerably lighter than it could be. Although while I was going crazy with projects last semester I think Etsy would have provided a nice creative release and allowed me to take more productive and structured breaks from schoolwork.

8. What is the best advice you can offer to a fellow college student crafter?

School comes first. Don't use your crafting as an excuse to avoid schoolwork, but do feel free to use it to give your mind a much needed break from time to time.

Etsy Buy Handmade Seville83

Member Spotlight: ALineofHerOwn

Meet Debbie of A Line of Her Own!

Debbie's shop is filled with beautifully handmade journals, cards and jewelry.

1. What school do you attend?

I attend the University of Minnesota in Morris. If you don't know what/where that is, it's pretty much the little brother of the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses.

2. What are you currently studying?
Studio Art with License to teach is what I'm aiming for. My major media are Drawing and Photography (with a bit of digital imaging mixed in for fun). This year is my final year in the Art Department and then next year is my final year over all!

3. What types of classes do you get to take? Which one is your favorite, and why?

The majority of my classes right now are art related with a few education ones scattered about here and there. I'm really enjoying taking Printmaking this semester because it's not something you really get to do with out a studio.

4. What do you want to do when you get out of school?

Once I graduate I intend to be an Art teacher, preferably in the high school grades.

5. What are some of your interests and hobbies?

I really enjoy learning unique types of art and crafting or even the types they just don't teach in my school. Last spring break I went to the North Shore and took a couple classes on Inuit stone carving and one on Viking knit chain. I learned something really interesting and had a blast while doing it. This isn't to say you won't find me lounging in front of my TV with my dog from time to time after all, we never miss an episode of our favorite show Bones!

6. What is your favorite thing about college so far?

I love how I'm getting to learn things that you practically don't even hear about in high school or even in the real world sometimes. I didn't even have an inkling what printmaking was before I got here and I hadn't been taught a thing about art history until I took a class here.

7. How do you manage your school work and Etsy shop?

Thankfully I got a lot of my journals made ahead of time, they're the most time consuming thing in my store. Another thing that helps is some of the stuff I do for school can be applied to my Etsy store such as a print I'm working on right now may make it's way to my inventory soon. Things like promoting myself and keeping up with the forums are all done on either the weekend mornings, like right now I'm typing this while I eat my Ego Waffles, or when I'm waiting around on campus for my next class to start.

8. What is the best advice you can offer to a fellow college student crafter?

DON'T DELAY! Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. I personally have a weekly planner that gets all homework and test dates written in it as soon as I get my syllabus. After that I'm able to judge what weekends would be good for me to go to the cities to get supplies, when I can spare some time for strictly Etsy business, and when I won't be able to make things for the store so I know to do it ahead of time. If you delay anything it will just get pushed back into something else, which will get pushed back into something else, which will lead to a major headache around finals week!

Etsy Buy Handmade A Line of Her Own

Welcome to the Brand New EtsyU Blog!

This blog is a huge step for the team. It will highlight its members and their wonderful shops and blogs with interviews and features. It will even include college and crafting related blog posts and articles written by its very own members!

If you are a member interested in writing for the blog, please convo me on Etsy.

Also, I hope you guys like the new logo. I wanted something fresh and fun for the team, so I decided to just go ahead and create a new banner!

*This blog is still under construction*

Erica
http://sweetsandhearts.etsy.com