Featured Etsy Designer: Studio Cherie

This week, Life on Crypton is showcasing Etsy.com (see our post from yesterday). Today we bring you an interview with Cherie, the designer-sewer extraordinaire who is behind StudioCherie. Selling duffels, bags, pillows and other fabric goods, Cherie’s bright colors and unique designs (she is happy to do custom items) have kept her busy creating since April 2008.

Recently, Cherie has come out with a brand new line of products containing Crypton Suede in the cathedral quilt-style. In addition to table-runners, she now has tote bags and pillows to complement the line. Interested crafters can also purchase PDFs of many of Cherie’s designs to create at home on their own.

In addition to running her online shop full-time, Cherie is also a mother of three, and a regular blogger (you can read her blog at http://studiocherie.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Q. How did you originally get started with designing and creating items for sale?
Cherie: I created the baby changing bag I had always wanted for myself (and no one ever made while I had babies in diapers.) Everyone at a friend’s baby shower got excited about it. One of the gals suggested I apply for a patent. It just snowballed from there.

 Q. Describe the sort of things you enjoy making– what are your favorite items to create?
Cherie: Furniture, doing upholstery and slip-covering are my favorites, but I ran out of room at my house. Bags are great too. A bit of portable creativity that still has high function value.

Q. Where do you get inspiration for new ideas?
Cherie: Usually my creations grow out of something I need myself. The duffle bag came out of my own need, and its popularity tells me I am not alone. Sometimes it’s more of an invention thing – like frame purses, I was always curious about how those are made, so I took some apart, learned from them, and redesigned from there. There are also times when an idea will simmer in the back of my mind for a long time, and when the right materials or tools appear, I just have to move forward.

Q. How would you describe your design style?
Cherie: Practical and fun.

Q. We’ve noticed you often work with Crypton in your shop what draws you to Crypton Fabrics?
Cherie: Did I just say practical and fun? I love how Crypton stays clean, which is a huge plus for home décor and for bags. The color range of Crypton makes it fun and easy to pair with the popular designer quilting fabrics which are my other favorite material.

Q. How has Etsy changed the way you do business?
Cherie: Etsy is a vibrant community of crafters and artisans, collectors and socially conscious consumers. Within that community I am able to tailor my offerings to the needs I see. There is a real satisfaction for me in connecting with the people who use my sewing patterns or buy the things I have made. Etsy is engaging from both the buyer and seller perspective.

Q. What are the challenges for your business?
Cherie: I am itching to expand my line like crazy right now. I have so many practical and fun ideas. I want to keep selling both patterns and finished products, but I am going to need to get help to do that if I expand my offerings.

Q. What’s next for StudioCherie?
Cherie: One or two helpers. More patterns more products.

Here at Crypton, we know that style never goes out of style. With the recession squeezing household budgets, true style mavens have gotten creative with ways to keep stylish with home décor. One of our favorite places for affordable chic is Etsy.com, an online marketplace for designers and artisans to sell handmade goods.  With over 200,000 sellers offering nearly 5 million items, you’ll be sure to find something that fits your style. A search for home décor is particularly inspiring: hobbyists and independent designers alike are offering everything from lamps to pillows, accent pieces to wallpaper.

We are so excited about the creative ideas generating from Etsy, that we will be profiling two of the Etsy designers we love – starting tomorrow with Cherie, from StudioCherie, a designer who often uses Crypton Fabrics in her work.

In the meantime, we’ve pulled a few fun design and pet-related Etsy items to feast your eyes upon until tomorrow. Enjoy!

Fun hoodedsweatshirts for dogs from anniessweatshop

Walldécor with “Naughty kitten” design from LanaKole

Handmade Chow dog bowl

Crypton Loves William Wegman, our Funny Valentine

Fido Friendly magazine features Crypton dog beds

The high-style magazine Fido Friendly recently invited me to contribute advice for its fabulous “Crate & Garden” feature. The topic was creating the ultimate mud room for dogs and the people who love, walk, feed, play with, and (of course) clean up after them.

Creating pet-friendly spaces happens to be my pet project, so I’m always on the lookout for creative K9 components to make home life easier – and easier on the eyes – for both people and pets.

The mud room winds up being a favorite napping and nesting destination, especially for dogs with thick, heavy coats who enjoy hanging out in a nice, cool atmosphere. So, one very important tip is to outfit your mud room with a dreamy dog bed that sports a durable, machine-washable cover- and the Fido Friendliest dog bed is, without a doubt, one made by Crypton.

Check out this and many other fun, informative articles in Fido Friendly’s new February 2010 issue, on newsstands now.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Can’t bring dogs with you on vacation? Give ‘em a play-cation!

New York residents are lucky: if they can’t bring their pets along on vacation, they can book a stay at one of the country’s most impressive boarding facilities, Unleash Brooklyn. I confess that I didn’t travel long-distance for several years because there was no place I’d trust with my pack of dogs; thanks to this incredible place, I’m now free to hit the road. 

Banish thoughts of an ordinary kennel. In fact, the co-owners of this unique establishment are hardcore dog lovers who won’t even use what they call  “the K-word” — and to back this up, there isn’t a single cage in the place. Constructed entirely of eco-friendly materials, this is a “holistic loft for cats and dogs.”

A stay here is a play-cation: Dogs are walked outside and enjoy carefully-supervised play sessions in three spacious exercise runs floored with shock-absorbing rubber,which is very kind to dogs with sore joints. There’s even a treadmill for super-high-energy dogs to burn off steam – or paunchy pooches, to help them battle the bulge.

When it’s sleepytime, the canine guests repair to individual rooms and “dog suites,” separated by wooden Dutch doors as in a posh horse stable, with homey touches including framed dog portraits, rugs, and chandeliers. And what do the guests lay their heads on? What else? Crypton dog beds! Now, that’s what we call deluxe accommodations.

And how’s this for reassuring: The morning after my dogs’ first night at their new home-away-from-home, I received the following text message: “They are awesome and slept great!”  

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Healthystuff.org a non-profit environmental research organization, recently revealed the results of its first-ever study of pet products. Researchers at Michigan’s Ecology Center used an X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer to examine over 400 pet products for hazardous chemicals. The findings showed that many mass-produced pet products – especially dog beds – are treated with brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which a 2007 EPA study linked to hyperthyroidism in cats.

All this is eye-opening and frightening, and it means that animal lovers need to take precautions when purchasing items for the most vulnerable consumers: pets. This news is particularly upsetting to animal lovers with kids, who often snuggle up on the family dog’s bed right alongside Spot.

We believe that kids should cuddle up with dogs at every opportunity – and that pets should not have to nest on bedding that emits toxic substances as they sleep! Here’s just one more reason to love Crypton dog beds Crypton’s green technology ensures that your dog will rest his or her head on the safest, most stylish dog bed available – no BFRs here.

healthystuff.org urges concerned parents (of kids as well as pets) to support federal regulatory reform that would require manufacturers to take responsibility for their products’ safety. Until our government requires companies to take responsibility, it’s nice to know some have their priorities straight. For proving that high-tech does not have to mean harmful … kudos, Crypton.

Posted by Julia Szabo.