Featured Artisan: elisabeth_77
by Elisabeth Spivey
Please start by telling us a little about yourself and your studio.
Hi, I’m Elisabeth! I’m a wife, a mother of two kids ages 2 and 4, and crochet pattern designer. I make unique crochet photography prop patterns and items for newborns called Cuddle Critter Capes. They are designed to make it simple if a baby is sleeping on there tummy! You just slide on the hat and you now have a cute little baby dressed up like your favorite critter or character. My line of props have become a favorite in the crochet world and photographers too! I just love to customize and make unique items for special new babies! While I mainly focus on newborn items I do offer hats in many sizes too so I have a little something for everyone
Where do you live and what is it like?
I live in Oklahoma City, OK. It’s a place where the weather changes on an instant! It’s flat but the city has lots of exciting things happening and it’s growing! The people here are friendly and giving!
Where did you learn your medium?
I learned the love of crochet from my mother, (Sara Sach of Posh Pooch Designs) when I was a teenager. I didn’t really get into it again until after college. I grew to love it more once I found out I was going to have my first child. I haven’t put down my hooks since. There are so many great resources on the internet and I’ve learned so much more in the past two years!
Crochet Pattern - No. 53 - Luckiest Leprechaun- Cuddle Cape Set
What role does your family play in your art?
Since my mom and I both run crochet pattern and item shops we are constantly bouncing ideas off of each other! While we both have similar ideas hers are for dog and mine are for babies. We just really enjoy getting to do something we both really love! I’m very thankful for her friendship! We’ve both helped each other learn so much about running our small businesses!
The rest of my family are all very supportive of what I do and I really love to make special gifts for them when I can find the time. I know sometimes its a more than full time job so I’ve had to learn to manage my time a little better especially being home all day! Some times it’s hard to put down the work and know that family is really what needs to come first!
How did you come to selling online?
I actually started selling girls hair bows on Facebook at first. I’d been laid off from my job during the recession and I was also expecting my 2nd child. My husband and I decided it would be a good time to try to be a stay at home mom but we still needed to bring in a little more money. It wasn’t going to be an easy transition for us. That little girl on the way inspired me to make crochet hats and accessories and from there it blossomed. After about a year online one of my prop photographers came to me with an idea for the critter capes and then I started writing my own crochet patterns for them. They were something that seemed new to the newborn photography prop world. From that point on my business blossomed bigger than I ever imagined it could.
No. 5 Ladybug Crochet Pattern - Cuddle Critter Cape Set
How did you come to find a home on ArtFire?
I started out on Artfire because there were no fees to list as many items as you want. I was doing well with it and then decided to jump on a promotional price when Artfire was still new. I liked the idea of not having to set up my own website and found this affordable to start out with and easy to use.
What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?
The best advise I can give to someone new starting out would be get a good camera and take several images of your items in natural light from different angels! Good pictured make a volume of difference! In the crochet design world its also very important to watermark your photos! I think people forget about copy-writes and the internet. It’s very important so show photos of your own work and not use images that are not yours.
Secondly, when your thinking about what you want to sell online, try to make it as fresh and unique to you as possible! I think that coming up with something that wasn’t really being offered is what helped my business finally soar! I always find it fun that even when I don’t think one of my designs will be liked it usually seems to be one of the favorites. You never know what other people might be looking for!
Your work is both beautiful and creative.
Beautiful workmanship shows in your design. Very creative and a excellent artistic talent.