Hi Friends! How are you? How were your holidays? Ours were good but busy. We traveled to see family and then afterward my husband went on a business trip. Followed by several us getting sick. Needless to say, it has been an interesting couple of weeks. What have you been up to? Feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email.
I am back to give you another Meet the Maker. I am so excited to introduce you to Janet from Zipper Works.
Where are you from? Palo, Minnesota
Where do you live now? Kingston Springs, TN
How long have you been crafting? I have been creating Zipperart since 1979.
Are there other types of crafting that you enjoy doing? Sewing, knitting, embroidery, photography, mosaic tiling.
What drew you to zipper art or what inspired you? I was in 4-h and the challenge was to recycle a household object. Instead of the soda pop bottle bird feeder; I sew so I had broken Zippers, it occurred to me to use the Zipper teeth like paint. I painted my worn out cork bulletin board and created Pussy Willows.
I left my artwork behind and my Mother had my broken Zippers. My father came home with kitchen cabinet doors and she looked at my work and the doors and started to create pieces. I took on the role of promoting her and gathering the broken Zippers. She passed at the age of 85, creating right up to her passing. I started to create with her and when she passed, I had a lot of Zippers left and not wanting to ‘waste’ them, I went back into creating on a daily basis. We are many different artists. This is a very interesting story. What a blessing you got to work with your mom for so long.
When did you start selling online? 2004
And what drew you to sell online? Reach the world
Where do you sell online? www.zipperworks.com, Facebook, Instagram: Zipperworks. I do not have an Etsy storefront because it is difficult to photograph my work. The teeth cause pixelation and look distracting. My art is very tactile too, it is meant to be felt. I never frame it with glass covering it. This is cool.
What is your favorite venue for selling? Fundraiser shows for schools, you get to interact with up and coming artists, inspire others to think out of the box-promote creativity. Very fun. I like fundraiser shows as well.
Do you have any giveaways or sales coming up or other exciting things that you would like to be shared in your post? I am launching my vastly improved website.
Do you do any other work and how does that fit into your production time? I work as a cancer researcher. I travel the US, Canada and world managing clinical research trials to find new therapies to cure cancer. My work can be very bleak, especially when the drug I am working on does not work as intended. I have my art to renew me. My themes are very whimsical (or so I have been told) because of my day job. I actually bring Zippers, scissors and Tacky glue with me and I create in the evening. Thank you for the work you do both with cancer research and with your zippers.
Do you have a faith practice and how does this fit into your work? I believe that my work is very meditating and I create faith-based themes.
What hopes do you have for your business in the future? I would like to reach a greater audience-that is how I get my Zippers-from jean quilters, former sewers, alternationists, I have a relationship with a developmental group home, they shred rags from Goodwill rejects and they save me the Zippers, in exchange, I create art for their home.
What is your most favorite piece that you have made? I don’t have a favorite piece but I treasure my mother’s work. I have kept many that I will not sell, the only way I will part with them is if they go into a permanent collection and treasured.That is a blessing you have those pieces.
Do you give to charity from the proceeds of your pieces? If so which ones and is there a story behind why? Yes, I donate to many causes, I gave pieces to help fund counseling for children who have both parents in prison; save habitats for falcons and educational outreach for them, I already mentioned about the group home, scholarship funds, and to help buy GPS locator bands for autistic and people with dementia in case they wander off, they can be found. Thanks for giving to all of these causes what a blessing.
What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? Make what you love and not what you think will sell. Thanks for this great reminder.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the blogosphere? or with a partner or family member? Try to repurpose if the life of something has finished, don’t throw.
Thanks for sharing Janet. I wish you all the best.
You can find Janet online and the following locations:
http://www.zipperworks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/zipperworks/
https://www.instagram.com/zipperworks/
What's Happening:
- Currently, we are in a giveaway celebrating Nikki from instagram.com/thisandthatbynikki
celebrating 1,000 followers and her six year anniversary! Head over to Instagram and check out all of the awesome prizes. - We are working on a new essential oil line for our ETSY shop. Come on out and check it out.
Pricing Handmade Items Guide
