Soul Craft: Neena Creates




 Your favorite piece of apparel. It keeps getting softer with wear. Every stitch tells a story. Penelope Valencia, of the Etsy shop, Neena Creates understands the importance of telling your story through your own sense of style. Penelope creates amazing hand-made screen prints of quotes on soft American Apparel clothing so that you can showcase your unique story. She has graciously shared her creative process so that you can learn more about her and her "soul craft".

*What is the process involved in designing a pull-over?
 
I don’t really have a specific process... I keep in mind the shape/drape of the pullover and make sure that whatever design I print on it stands out and is bold


*How do you design your quotes?

It’s almost like a puzzle. When there is a quote I want to work on, especially if it’s a long sentence or two, I have to factor in the size of the embroidery hoop and also the shirt/tank that I want to print on, then I figure out how the words will fit together. I start to visualize the configuration and then I’ll start sketching it out. Some quotes I’m able to get it how I want it in the first sketch... that’s the best! Most times I have to write it over and over until it just looks right to me, and on occasion a quote won’t look right at all and I’ll have to abandon it for later. 



 





*Where do you draw your inspiration for your creations?

Definitely from books that I’ve read. The quotes that stand out to me are positive, romantic, and inspirational. I started practicing yoga again after a long hiatus and it’s becoming an important part of my life, so I plan on adding yoga inspired quotes. Also, I’ve been finding so much inspiration from instagram! I love it all whether it’s random people or my friends documenting their everyday lives, professional artists and photographers, or funny memes. Especially for myself when I share my own pics I force myself to be creative about it as much as I can.



*What made you choose American apparel over another brand of clothing on which to put your designs?

I love that American Apparel is made in the USA. They also practice vertical integration, meaning their manufacturing operations are based locally (spinning & dyeing the yarn, sewing the shirts, selling etc). For me this was important because a big part of my business is trying to be as sustainable/eco-friendly as possible. American Apparel is a good fit and gives me a lot of choices in terms of styles of clothing and accessories. Here is a link for more info on their practices www.americanapparel.net/aboutus/verticalint/
Another reason I love American Apparel is how easy it’s been for me to order from them and how quickly I get my shipments. Since I am located close to their Los Angeles warehouse, I will usually receive my order within a day or two. Other companies can take up to 3-5 days which puts a damper on my order processing times.
I do order on occasion from Alternative Apparel, their eco-friendly line is called Alternative Earth, and I’m always on the lookout for other eco-friendly companies that offer cute styles.



*Do you think you'll branch out to other pieces of clothing such as pants or skirts?

Yes!! I’m currently working on a design for a yoga pant, and I’m looking at dresses and possibly shorts and/or skirts. I definitely want to expand from tees and sweaters.... actually getting around to it is another question!



*What is your favorite book? Who is your favorite author?

Oh no! There is no one or simple answer to this because I love so many different genres and the books I love, I do so equally. However, let me try and make a list of my top 5 favorite books and authors at this very moment:
~Jane Austen/ it’s a tie between Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion
~Janet Fitch/ White Oleander
~JRR Tolkien/ Lord of the Rings Trilogy
~JK Rowling/ Harry Potter
~Charles Duhigg/ The Power of Habit
And I have to give a shout out to a few old school series that I loved and obsessed over when I was younger: Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew, and Christopher Pike novels.

*What advice can you give to someone starting out in their creative journey?
 

To believe in yourself and be kind to yourself, and then give that to someone else in return.


Soul Craft: Ophelia's Gypsy Caravan

Before checking my email or writing my morning journal entries,I sit on my porch  holding my favorite mug filled with tea and watch as the world slowly wakes up. On chilly mornings when the weather is a bit too nippy for my taste, holding something warm is as important as drinking something warm. Hanna Howard, of the Etsy shop, Ophelia's Gypsy Caravan, knows all about the perfect tea mug. From whimsical to artsy, Hanna hand-paints quotes for "bookworms and super geeks" and her inspiration for her designs runneth over.


I'm elated to interview Miss Hanna Howard and view her passion, her soul craft.

Do you have any background education which led you to create your shop?

My major is in English, as I’ve said, and I minored in Creative Writing. I think I had enough art credits to have a double minor, but for some reason I never made that official. These things seem a good formula for the shop I have, especially since the item descriptions make use of my creative writing background. My primary ambition is actually to write young adult fiction, and I’ve found that painting is a good tactile supplement to the mental stress of writing.

How do you choose the quotes/designs for your wares?

I choose quotes based on several qualifying points. The first is, of course, whether I personally like the quote, and whether it fits the aesthetic and theme of my shop. So usually something literary or geeky. The second point is based on my own experience. I don’t like using quotes from sources I am not familiar with, because I feel like the mugs lose authenticity when my passion is not fueling them. The third point is whether or not I feel the quote has a wide appeal. There are lots of quotes I like that I feel wouldn’t really appeal to a general audience, or which wouldn’t go well on a coffee mug. In general, I want quotes that would be inspiring in the morning over a cup of coffee or tea; quotes that people might want to wake up to. Because this might be the first thing that person reads every day.

As for designs, they tend to come second. Once I know what the quote is (and what mug it is destined for), I choose a design that complements both. If I am ever feeling that a quote doesn’t necessitate any particular design, I fall back on floral and nature motifs.

How did you derive the name for your shop?

The name Ophelia’s Gypsy Caravan was part literary (Shakespeare’s Hamlet), part personal (my dog’s name is Ophelia), and part optimistic (I thought a gypsy caravan could include more than just mugs, if I wanted it to). But as my style tends to be bright and whimsical as well as geeky, I think it works well.



What led you to choose quote writing over putting other images on your mugs?

I’m a Words Person. I like images, too, but ultimately my soul craves stories, characters, diction. I have shed more tears over the dry, inky pages of books than over any other medium of entertainment—and almost more than real life. When I get up in the morning and sit down with a cup of tea, I want to see something that gives me courage to face whatever is ahead, and helps me to remember that I am not alone on the journey. Words do this for me in a way that images cannot. And to see words that mean something significant to me personally is like getting a cheery wave, or a pat on the back, or a tight hug. It wakes me up and gives me joy.

What is the process used to design a mug?

The process, once I have assembled a list of quotes to use, is really just layers of painting, and then baking and washing. So I’ll usually paint the lines of the design (and the lettering) with the black paint pen, so I can get the most precise, detailed lines possible. There is little to no pre-sketching, which means I do some wiping off when I am not satisfied, or when I goof something up. After the black is dry, I brush on color with a thin paintbrush, usually doing one color at a time on all the mugs I am working on. Then, after all the color is dry, the mugs go into the oven, where they bake for an hour to set the paint (my paints are special ones for ceramic), and then cool. I always wash them in the dishwasher after this, just to make sure the paint set well.



How long does it take to design a batch of mugs from start to finish?

This depends on the size of the batch, of course, but usually I’ll paint 50-80 mugs in a batch, which takes anywhere from three weeks to six weeks, depending on how much time I have to work on painting.





Do your mugs come from a mold or do you hand create them?

I actually scavenge my mugs! I don’t make them at all—I only paint them. This has its drawbacks, of course (mostly that I don’t have access to the same mugs over and over, whenever I need them), but when I can find mugs from various sources, it adds variety and interest to my inventory, and saves me the time it would take to make them. It also keeps my prices down a bit, because hand-thrown mugs are expensive to make. I get my mugs from a range of sources, from secondhand and antique shops to discount warehouses, which helps keep things interesting for me. :)

What are some of your favorite books?

Oh, there’s a question with a long answer. Top of the list are Harry Potter, and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I have read those books more times than I can count, and both live beside my bed, to be taken up whenever I need them.

But some others: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, anything by C.S. Lewis, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and all the rest of that series) by Douglas Adams, The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, most anything by Robin McKinley. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Heidi by Joanna Spyri, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (and the rest of her books), Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, East by Edith Pattou, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon… And, oh so many others. I’ve recently enjoyed the Cinder books by Marissa Meyer, The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling), and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.


A Note from Hanna:

Since I hand-paint everything and have only one part-time helper (my insanely talented cousin, Libby), my shop often experiences long periods of “draught,” where nothing new is posted and the stock dwindles down to nothing while I work on painting new stock. If you visit my shop and find that there is nothing to buy, you’re always welcome to place a custom order through any of the custom listings I have available, or simply join my mailing list (or follow on Facebook), and wait for the next batch to arrive.

Soul Craft: Thornfield Hall Designs

A few weeks ago, I reviewed Katie's Anne of Green Gables shirt here.

The "Literary Love" link on the side provide a direct link to her site.

It was very interesting to hear Katie's story behind her Etsy shop, Thornfield Hall Designs.

Enjoy a "behind-the-scenes" look into her "soul craft":


What made you want to start your shop ThornfieldHall Designs?

I’ve always loved to read- for years I’ve said I wish someone would pay me to read. Sadly, I never found that job. I had been looking for shirts with some of my favorite quotes on them and hadn’t been able to find anything that I liked, so I started at looking at ways to put quotes on t-shirts. I also do not like to wear men’s/unisex cut t-shirts- I prefer something a little more feminine, so that was something I wanted to provide in my shop for women. I want to give people who love classic books something with a quote they will love, but also a product they will love. And my idea has just grown from there.



Do you have any specific background/skill that led you to sell your creations?

My major was English in college- that’s actually the closest background I have to the products I’m providing! I do have a strong background in customer service, so that helps. As far as the screen printing goes, my husband and I took more than six months teaching ourselves how to make silk-screens, how the process works and learning to screen print. I create the designs, my husband makes the screens, and I screen print everything by hand. All our screens are made by hand- even the frames are handmade. We also chose water based inks that are better for the environment and feel softer on shirts. It’s definitely been a learning process.

How do you decide which quotes to choose?

With books I’ve read many times, such as Jane Eyre or Frankenstein, I go back through my copies and look through the passages I’ve underlined and make a list of everything. Or, if I haven’t read that book in a long time, I re-read it and underline quotes I like and make a list of them. Then I go through my list and mark the ones I particularly like. This still usually leaves me with 5 or 6 quotes when we’re only planning to make 1 or 2 screens. So then I really have to narrow down which 1 or 2 I like best, which can be hard for me. Then I have to design it to fit our screens and see if the quote will fit. Sometimes, as in the case of the Frankenstein tshirt that has Victor’s quote on it, I’ve omitted some words or phrases and replaced them with an ellipsis, just to get the quote to fit and convey the feeling I want the shirt to convey. I try to balance readability of the quote on the shirt with the essence of the passage. But many times I would have been happy putting the whole page on the shirt! My husband is always telling me to shorten the quotes.

 What are some of your favorite books?

 Jane Eyre has always been one of my all time favorite books. I also read all 8 of the Anne of Green Gables books in elementary school and loved them- I wanted to be Anne! I’m also a huge Jane Austen fan, I’ve read all her books. I love Kate Morton’s writing. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. I’m such a sucker for WWII/Holocaust novels, even though they can be emotionally difficult to read sometimes- I loved The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I love YA fiction as well- some of my favorites are the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Enclave by Ann Aguirre, and The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.

How did you come up on the name for your Etsy shop?

Thornfield Hall is the name of the estate of Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. I wanted the focus to be on the books I chose my quotes from, and as Jane Eyre is my favorite classic, I picked something from it.

Is there any significance to the way you package materials to be sent to customers?

 I’m definitely a sucker for pretty packaging. When people get one of my shirts in the mail, I hope they feel like I took time to package it well. So I try to make it pretty, but also hopefully get there safely and not too expensively. I love neutrals, so I picked a craft bag to put a shirt in and then I include a care card that tells people how to wash and care for their t-shirt. Then I wrap it with some navy blue and white bakers twine to match Thornfield Hall’s colors and slip in a thank you card.

(ink squeegee and scraper)

What other ideas do you have in store for your shop that we can look forward to in the future?

So many! I have more ideas than time right now. I actually have two Dracula (by Bram Stoker) designs I’ll be adding to the shop very shortly. Then I’m working on adding men’s shirts for the Frankenstein and Dracula designs. I’m also working on black t-shirts for men and women, scarves, kitchen towels, and onesies with some new designs. After that I’ll be working on adding new quote designs to the shop.


Bookish Charm's Soul Craft--My Literary Loves

It was so nice to establish a relationship and get the back story behind Erin and Ducky Johnson's Etsy shop, Bookish Charm.

Enjoy a behind-the scenes look into her "soulcraft":

What made you start your business?

"In many ways, it stemmed from a very personal place, as when I was growing up I would always write down snippets of my favorite books or quotes from my favorite authors on small pieces of paper and stuff them into a locket that I carried around with me. Just knowing I carried those words with me gave me courage, and I wanted to give others the same opportunity to carry around the words that inspire them in a way that is both meaningful and beautiful."

What drives you to choose specific quotes?

"Most of the quotes we choose reflect ideas and concepts that we find to be powerful, interesting, or inspirational. The best way to describe it is to borrow a bit from Emily Dickinson, as she once said that "if I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." We feel the same way about quotes.

We also listen to what our customers would like to see, and start offering certain quotes if we get enough requests to do so."  



Do you have any type of specific skill that led you to start your shop?

"Not unless you count curiosity! ;) To be honest, when we started our shop I had almost no background in what we do. I just really wanted to make jewelry with quotes, and worked hard to self-teach myself what I needed to know in order to create the kind of jewelry we offer."





Extra Info

"But more than anything, beyond the jewelry and beyond the quotes, the core of our business is wanting to make someone's day. We put a lot of love into each package we send, and hope that a little bit of that comes through when the package reaches our customers."

Check out her shop on the side of my blog!

Tell her Literary Chameleon sent you :)