New Guest Poster...Lupin!

Goldfinch, Bird Brooch

Sorry I wasn’t able to get this up yesterday…I am feeling much better now and am so excited that we will have some guest posts coming up over the next couple of weeks from the lovely Laura of Lupin. I have been in love with Laura’s handmade felt pieces for some time, but this chica’s creative side goes well beyond her totally awesome shop, Lupin. She has also some wonderful DIY tutorials on her blog, which I love, love, love! But before we jump into her incredible gift wrapping tutorials that I’ll be posting over the next couple of weeks, let’s take some time to get to know Laura (Lupin) herself….

Abstract Felt Mobile or Wall Hanging

Papernstitch: Tell us a little more about yourself.

Laura: I’m 26 and I currently live with my boyfriend in Gloucester in a flat, which is half covered in books (his) and half in felt (mine). I’ve been making stuff for honestly as long as I can remember, making presents for people and furniture for my dolls when I was a kid and handmade cards for all and every occasion. A couple of years ago I was thinking about what to make my friends and neighbours for Christmas, thought about making some felt ornaments, stumbled upon Etsy and thought wow! I’d never really thought about selling my work before, but I made it my new year’s resolution to set up shop and here I am! Lupin Handmade has developed hugely over the past two years but I’m still just finding my feet in the crafty business world, it’s all very new and exciting.

Oak Leaf Brooch, Brown

Papernstitch: Tell us about your shop, Lupin.

Laura: In my shop I sell sweet and pretty felt treats like teacup brooches, floral hairbands and polkadot pincushions as well as silly stuff like panda masks and moustache disguises (which always make me giggle). I hope my work will make people smile! I started my blog as a sort of crafting diary to help me keep track of what I was making and what I wanted to make, but I rather neglected it until I made the decision to start my Crafting 365 project. I did something crafty every day, took a photo and blogged about it, and it transformed my blog, my working processes and my whole business, it made me much more focused and self-disciplined and more creative too.

I love connecting with people through my blog, especially sharing my “behind the scenes” photos of my working process and writing crafty tutorials – I love my business but it’s nice to invent little projects that have nothing to do with making money sometimes!

Circles Pincushions

Papernstitch: What inspires you to make things?

Laura: I’ve always enjoyed solving the problem of “how can I make one of those?”, and making stuff has always been my favourite way to while away an afternoon so it’s wonderful to have the chance to make stuff
for a living. I get inspired a lot by the vibrant colours of the felt I use in my work, and draw a lot of my ideas from nature. The more I make the more things I think of to make – one idea sparks another five and it’s just a shame that there are never enough hours in the day to sew them all.

For more from Laura of Lupin, visit her shop or blog.