Feature Friday - Malarie from itsastitch, spookychandelier, and MissingColors

I'm sure many of you have wondered about our team leader - and now, the wait is over! Malarie, the head rat herself, has agreed to be today's Feature Friday person! As some of you may know, she currently runs three shops on Etsy: itsastitch, spookychandelier, and MissingColors.

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

My name is Malarie, I'm 22 and a libra; also known as itsastitch (and spookychandelier and MissingColors). I sell, mostly jewelry in itsa & spooky, and clothing/totes/housewares in MissingColors. They all show a side of my personality and style. My main shop, itsastitch, shows my general style, spooky shows my evening attitude and how I like to dress up, MissingColors is the random rockstar side of my personality that comes out every now and then (like when I drink :P). Initially, I heard about Etsy through my very dear friend Lauren (aka: jerseymaids on Etsy). She always talked about how wonderful the community was and how the items are so awesome, so I hopped on in November 2008 to buy Christmas gifts. After admiring shops and building up stock of my own, I thought why not? And the rest, as they say, is history.

2. Besides creating beautiful things for your shop, what do you spend your days doing?

I spend a lot of my day on Etsy, since it's my full time job. I wake up when my boyfriend gets up for work (much to my chagrin). I usually fart around online for a while before I list something. I try to make at least 3 new things each day. I usually have some kind of meeting or phone call to make regarding one of my 3 shops, so I handle those, too. Sometimes I prep for an upcoming photoshoot my boyfriend has, I'm usually his artistic director and fashion stylist. If one of my friends happens to be free, I usually go get sushi and shop with them. My evenings are spent with my man and a delicious dinner that he prepared.

3. What sources do you draw your inspiration from and what is your creative process(es)?

Some of the most random things inspire me. Usually it's just a mood, a song I hear, a piece of jewelry I see that I want to recreate into something different, chatting with friends about what they like, a color that I just HAVE to use. I work at my make-shift corner desk in my apartment. One desk is sewing, the other jewelry and my laptop is over here as well. It's cramped, but I make do. For MissingColors I usually doodle a bunch until I like something then recreate it onto contact paper and use a spray bottle of bleach out on the balcony.

4. What market (group of people) do you see your items being for?

I always wonder this. I would guess, in itsastitch, it's young hipsters. That style is funky, youthful and different. spookychandelier is more classic style, so I imagine it appeals more to the 25 and older crew. MissingColors, I haven't a clue. I could see the totes being used by some young girl with pink hair and a nose piercing at a farmers market.

5. Name your top three:

Books:

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Most horror novels

The Chronicles Of Narnia

Music:

This was really hard, so I picked three artists that I always listen to their entire album without skipping

Prince

Girl Talk

Ferraby Lionheart

Movies/TV:

I'm a TV addict.

The Office

Project Runway

The Simpsons

Websites:

popurls.com

videosift.com

foodnetworkhumor.com

6. What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see added?

I love that we can rearrange our shop, and I love alchemy. The list of things I would add or change is long, but the main thing I can think of is being able to choose the thumbnail that appears when you upload a photo. It is IMMENSELY frustrating when you get great shots and then it looks crappy on the thumbnail.

7. How do you market your work? What has or hasn’t worked for you in the past?

Well, I use twitter a lot. I have a facebook fan page, but I don't update it nearly enough. I don't keep up with my blog, either. BUT, I (obviously) run the Lab Rat team and I am also a member of Etsy Chatters. The teams have been really helpful. I've also gotten a few features in the Gift Guides and Front Page, and I have a couple more exciting things that are going to be rolling out soon, but it's hush hush right now.

8. What do you like most about the Virtual Labs?

I remember the first time I came into a lab I was like what the hell is this? I ended up leaving because I had no idea what was going on; turns out I went in when there wasn't something going on. I came back a month or so later and saw that there is actually scheduled events and came into a Shop Critique session with HeyMichelle. I immediately thought it was rad and came back over and over again. It's a fun way to chat and get great advice from people on the inside.

9. What topics or events would you like to see added to the Virtual Lab offerings?

Well, I would love to have critique sessions for the rats, I feel like I (and some other regs) would have great tips for people. I would also love to have interview sessions with members who have been around on Etsy for a while who would have some great tips for us.