Feature Friday, funkisockmunki

Today's great Friday Feature shop is funkisockmunki

1.) Tell us about yourself, your shop and what brought you to the Etsy community.

I have always had too many crafty hobbies and had been pondering opening my own Etsy shop for at least 4 years before finally getting around to it. I've been working as a freelance graphic designer for about a year and a half now, which gives me plenty of time to run an Etsy shop on the side. When I was working FT as a designer, there was no time or headspace for such things.

2.) Walk us through a typical day in your life.

I get up with my husband and see him off to work, eat some breakfast, spiff up the house a bit, feed the bunnies their daily chow, and then settle in to check email and fulfill any orders that came in overnight. Typically I have 1-4 freelance projects going on, and in between design revisions, I work on crafty stuff and home projects while waiting for client feedback. I try to reserve knitting for evening when we are sitting around watching the tube.  During the day, I often have volunteer duties to fill time. (I'm a Master Gardener 2nd year intern, volunteer for PlantAmnesty, and occasionally work with CityFruit.org). 

3) Name your top 3 Books

 - Steve Solomen's Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades (he's the guy who started Territorial seed)

 - anything by Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Survivor, Haunted, Choke)

 - Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far, Stefan Sagmeister  (thingsihavelearnedinmylife.com)

-Music

- Ella Fitzgerald (or any female jazz singer)

- Deerhoof

- Flaming Lips

-Movies OR TV shows

- Wes Anderson blows me away with his genius

- Arrested Development (Heyyyyy brother!)

- Father Ted (old BBC show about 3 irish priests, feckin' hilarious)

-Websites

- myFolia - gardening

- ravelry - knitting

- Flickr

4) Where do you hope your shop will be in 1 year?

- I hope it will be about the same. My items are pretty one-of-a-kind, so I never expected to sell a whole bunch or have consistent sales. Right now the chaos of moving houses is keeping me from spending the upkeep time I would like to on the shop. I have a concept for a second shop, but again, no time right now to develop it. Three months from now I hope to step up my game in producing regularly and promoting more frequently to drive sales. I broke even last year 2 days before the end of year, which was REALLY exciting. I now have enough supplies and finished objects to sell quite a bit more, and that will all be profit. Most of my motivation though is about being part of the community and having a creative outlet that sort of pays for itself.  

5) What is one of your favorite shops on Etsy?

   - The shop that brought me to Etsy in the first place is still my favorite. Sadly, I see she has nothing listed right now (Gooseflesh.etsy.com). But you can see her very lovely crocheted seaforms and other objects d' art on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellejorgensen/

I can't wear metal (allergic) and she has crocheted soft sculpture jewelry. She is the inspiration for my soft sculpture 'wristwatch'. My first Etsy purchase was one of her flotsam bracelets, like this one http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellejorgensen/559286562/in/set-72157602120733607/

My second purchase unfortunately was a disaster (a really horrible experience as a buyer) which put me off from Etsy for over a year and delayed my shop opening. grumble grumble. hehe.

6) What projects are you currently working on?

- Organizing and downsizing my stash to move! I also just finished a pair of knitted gloves for my mom from an absoltely stunning book on knitted gloves - all you knitters MUST check this one out - Knitting new mittens and gloves, by Robin Melanson. (I made the Blackthorns.) 

7) If you could have 1 super power, what would it be and why?

The ability to teleport myself and my husband to Maui instantly. To scuba, beachcomb, snorkel, visit my neice, drink pineapple wine, and eat laulau pork and haupia. 

Pets - Nuggit and Ella are my bunny companions. She is a big white (crazy) lop, and he is a little netherland dwarf Hotot (Hoe-toe). They are free-range house bunnies during the day and have a fabulous condo to retreat to in the evening.