Artist Highlight and Giveaway: Daisy Dog Creations!!

I am so excited to introduce Laurie of Daisy Dog Creations to you today!  She has a great shop filled with pet accessories and has a great heart.  She donates 10% of all proceeds to a local animal rescue group that she works with.  Snaps for that!!  See below for Laurie's interview which includes great shop tips,  A GIVEAWAY, and a DISCOUNT CODE for her shop for all A Girl and Her Scout readers!

Hi Daisy Dog Creations! Welcome! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your fun pet accessories.
My name is Laurie and I live in Connecticut with my two cats, Sabrina and Sam and my newly adopted Cocker Spaniel, Charlie. Charlie is a rescue that came with a lot of medical problems.   Let's just say I call him my little money pit.  LOL. I started out fostering him but then fell in love immediately so I had to adopt him. I love to craft; I've been crafting since I was a small child.  If I didn't have a constant creative outlet, I'd go crazy.

I think my favorite thing to do in the craft area is sew home accessories and decor and craft items.   I could absolutely live in a fabric store! I will buy fabric just because it's pretty and have no idea what I'll do with it but I gotta have it.  When I adopted Charlie earlier this year I began looking for really  nice collars and leashes; I found a few but they were expensive. One day I was looking at one of his collars and I thought "I could make this."  I went to the store, got some supplies (and of course, more fabric!) and made a collar that night.  The problem was, Charlie now had too many collars!  So I decided to try my hand at selling them to friends and family and when that went well I decided to try selling them on Etsy.    I  just started on Etsy but so far so good.  I'm now working on a line of leash bags (to hold the poop bags), harnesses and leashes.   I still don't have all my inventory on Etsy but I'm getting there.  The name DaisyDog comes partly from my beloved cat, Daisy, who passed away earlier this year at age 17.   I also donate collars to non-profit animal rescue groups. 

 

Besides the dog collars you have in your Etsy store, what else do you like to do?
I love to garden when I have time.   I also love to scour flea markets and garage sales for vintage items for my home.   The older the better!   I also like to scrapbook and make jewelry.   And thanks to Charlie, I now really enjoy walking on a new trail behind my house. 

What first drew you to pet accessories?
I started working part time at a local dog bakery/store and I saw all the accessories available for dogs and was surprised by the variety.  I hadn't lived with a dog since I was a child (many, many years ago) and at the time I only had cats.    Then when I adopted Charlie, I just turned my sewing and crafting in that direction.  I "test" all my products on Charlie (he's very patient) and if I won't let Charlie wear it, I won't sell it.   

What advice would you give to aspiring artists and Etsy shop owners?
Don't give up.   I really started this as a hobby and it's slowly but surely taking off.   I just got a couple requests for wholesale orders!   I would also strongly recomment networking.  I had no idea what that was when I first started but the more you get your name and product out there, the better.   Another thing I strongly believe in is "pay it forward".  I got a lot of help with my Etsy shop from total strangers on Etsy; we are all competing for sales and yet many people helped me out when I first started.  I try to do the same for other Etsians.    I've even purchased a couple items on Etsy to help out a new seller.  

Where else can we find you?I just started my blog:  Daisy Dog Creations.    It's mostly about my adventures as a first time dog owner and some great items I've found on Etsy.   You can also find DaisyDogCreations on Facebook.  

In addition to such inspiring words, Daisy Dog Creations is hosting a giveaway here at A Girl and Her Scout! She will be giving away a dog collar of the winner's choice from her Etsy shop plus an added surprise!  The winner will be chosen (via a random assorter) on 10/01/11 so be sure to get in your entries by then!

To enter, head over to her Etsy Store, Daisy Dog Creations, and leave a comment here about your favorite item(s). Additional entries for: 1) becoming a first time follower of A Girl and Her Scout 2) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your blog 3) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your facebook and/or twitter 4) “Hearting” or adding DaisyDogCreations to your “Favorites” on Etsy 5) Following Laurie's blog and/or 6) making a purchase out of her store (one entry for every purchase). Be sure to leave a new comment for each additional entry!

In addition, until 10/01/2011 she will be offering a 15% discount to all A Girl and Her Scout readers! YAY!!! Just use key word “girlandherscout" at check out to receive your discount.