Friday Feature -- Lima Bean Home

This week's featured Etsy artist is Kristine from Lima Bean Home. I love her "This Bag Was Not Made In China" shopping bag. A perfectly practical and clever way to "be green" and announce your intention to "Buy Handmade!" (I like it so much I'm putting it on my personal wish list!)


Tell me two (or more!) interesting things about you.

I am a stay-at-home mom to two boys—James, age 4, and Owen, age 2. I love to cook & run. I have lived in South Africa and Botswana and currently live in Springfield, OR (right next to Eugene and the University of Oregon—go Ducks!)

What do you sell in your Etsy shop?

I mostly sell different types of bags—reusable canvas shopping bags, purses, totes of all shapes and sizes and out of all kinds of fabric. I also have some nursing aprons/covers for sale because I think they are a great, useful product and I want to support mothers who breastfeed.

To which Etsy Street Teams do you belong?

Etsymom
Ecoetsy

What inspires your creations?

I often check out books on sewing from the library to look at the pictures and get fabulous ideas from there. I am also looking at bags everywhere I go to find out what new handles I could add, or pockets, or other fun bells and whistles.

Tell me a bit about your creative process and/or how you learned to do what you do.

I often visit my local thrift stores to look for pieces of fabric or pieces of clothing that have been given away that can be cleaned, cut up, and repurposed into unique bags. I am usually inspired by whatever I find and I can imagine how the bag will look when I’m holding the jacket, pants, or placemats. Usually I can’t wait to get home and cut it up.

What is your favorite item in your shop (currently for sale or previously sold)? Why is it your favorite?


This is my favorite purse. The placemats were a unique find and I loved the lining fabric. I almost kept this purse for myself, but then someone bought it. Of course, I was happy about that as well.

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

Creative, frugal, content

What do you like about Etsy?

Let me just announce it here—I am addicted to Etsy. I love to see what unique things people are making, I love to read their profiles. I also love to visit the forums and see what helpful information people are sharing on how to make their shop and products better. It’s a fabulous community.

What makes your shop unique?

The materials I use are unique, so it makes each bag I make truly one-of-a-kind. Also, I am trying to encourage more eco-friendly living through what I sell.

What advice do you have for other folks selling or buying on Etsy?

You definitely have to find ways to promote yourself. There is so much inventory on Etsy that you have to figure out a way to get someone to your shop. Otherwise your things will get lost among all the other amazing items for sale.

Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations?

http://limabeanhome.blogspot.com/

For more of my Friday Feature interviews, click here.