diydivas.myfastforum.org

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:08 am

Tell me about yourself.

Lazy Cat Gifts is made up of 3 friends.

Kelly, Philadelphia, PA. She is in a pediatrics residency at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Kelly learned to crochet from her Grammy as a child and has a long history of making gifts and projects for family and friends. Kelly came up with the idea of starting a crochet business and opening a store on Etsy.com. Kelly has multiple hobbies and talents, including coaching a competitive boys baseball team when she was in medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She also has 2 black cats named Zorro Kole and Emma.

Stasia, Ann Arbor, MI. She is in a radiology residency at the University of Michigan. Stasia also has a family history of crochet, but Kelly really got her into crocheting when they would study together in medical school. Stasia really helped the jewelry aspect of Lazy Cat Gifts take off with her wire-and-bead crochet skills. She lives with Allison, and they have 2 cats--a polyldactyl tuxedo cat named Mr. Michigan Mittens and an orange stripy baby cat named Nemo Puff.

Allison, Ann Arbor, MI. She is a Post-doctoral Fellow in Biochemistry at the University of Michigan. Allison is the major organizer of the group, and she organizes the business and the website. Her grandmother also crocheted, but she learned most of her crochet skills from Stasia and Kelly.

What do you make? What are your favorite materials to work with? What is your favorite color?

We make crocheted jewelry from wire, beads, crystals, and gem stones. We also make more tradition yarn-based crochet items, like scarves, hats, wraps, and bags. However, we like to bring the crochet of our grandmother into hip cool new projects for young people! Favorite colors-- Kelly = yellow, Stasia = pink and red, Allison = blue and purple.

Where can people purchase your goods?

Right now, we mainly sell through our Etsy website: http://lazycat.etsy.com though we also sell at local craft fairs in Southeast MI and we hope to sell at some shows in Philadelphia as well. We would love to sell in some boutiques too.

What is your favorite thing you have ever created?

Stasia's favorite: The Annapolis Necklace and Earrings

Kelly's favorite: The San Diego Necklace and Earrings

Allison's favorite: Hookworm Harry Custom scarf:

What is the worst thing you have ever created?

Other than the very first projects we tried to make, the worst project was something that Kelly made for her brother. His favorite colors at the time were orange and yellow, and he was doing a lot of outdoor activities, so it seemed ok to make a hat in hunting colors--bright yellow and fluorescent orange. It ended up looking like cheese popcorn.

What inspires you to create?
The ability to bring something beautiful to someone else's life.

What is your favorite film/music/book/artist?
Finding Nemo is our favorite movie. We love Disney, and we started our business to pay for our vacations to DisneyWorld!

Who is the most important person in your life?
Our kitty cats!

Do you have any advice for other DiY designers?
Make sure you enjoy your craft, and don't get overwhelmed by the business side of things.

Contact Lazy Cat Gifts on Diy Divas! LazyCatGifts