An Interview with Steppie - and a Giveaway!

Herro! I am Steppie; an independent artist/designer, but more importantly, a lover of design with an enormous passion for creativity. I am 23 years old, and I started my business shortly after I graduated from college. I have less than one year of experience on my belt, but am already surprising myself with how much my work has evolved. One thing will stay true with my craft though: I will keep killing you with cuteness... one tee, tote, and painting at a time. :)



1.) What kinds of things inspire you?

I'm inspired by a lot of things: nature, animals, patterns, colors. But often times, it's just me and my sketchbook. One sketch will lead to another, and when I have something that jumps off the pages and makes me smile, I know I've found something. I like to think of my work as modern simplicity -- taking cute creatures + patterns, and infusing it with my own little fun twist.



2.) What is your favorite thing to create?

Ooh, this is a hard one to answer! If you take a peek into my shop, this will be no surprise as it's obvious I love working with a lot of different mediums. I think I'm more obsessed with processes and the materials that are involved in a process. So the idea of bringing charcoal in contact with a piece of wood, or pulling fabric ink across a mesh screen, those are probably my favorite parts of being creative in general.



3.) Do you have a studio, or a corner of your house for crafting?? What is it like?

Considering I just graduated from college last year, the only place I can call mine is a bedroom in my parent's house. While I would love to have my own studio someday, the space I've created in my bedroom to act as my faux studio will have to do for now! Photos of my creative space:




4.) Have you always been crafty? If not, how did you get into making things?

Yes, I've always shared a love for arts & crafts. Growing up, my mom was a wee bit overprotective at the time and didn't let me wander outside the house after school with the other kids in my neighborhood. While some may find this "limiting" for my childhood, I actually found that it helped me become more creative with how I spent my time. And in turn, helped me realize my passion for making things. To this day, I'm more of a homebody, and the thought of spending time indoors with my crafts is my idea of a good day.



5.) Tell us about a new skill or goal you have for the future, related to creative pursuits or otherwise.

A challenge I constantly have for myself is to never limit myself to what I think I can do. It's almost reaching a year since I've started my business, and I'm still learning a lot about myself and what I'm capable of. The next step for my business is to continue concentrating on my clothing line -- I want to introduce more accessories, and even start a baby/kid line! It's all new exciting things from here on out, it's just a matter of time. Oh, if only time could be my best friend!



Steppie has generously offered to give away one of her CUTE panda faced tote bags to a very lucky paper*cakes finds reader! :) Please check out her shop, and leave a comment with your fave item for a chance to win. For extra entries, you can blog about the contest, or tweet it, or post in on myspace/facebook - just be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry! The giveaway will close at Midnight Atlantic time, on Sunday.

Steppie has extended her 15% off her entire shop to any participants/readers until 3rd! She is also offering a free gift with any orders from paper*cakes readers!! Just put "PAPERCAKES15" in the message to seller box at check out. :) Yay!

+ ( BLOG ) : http://designsbysteppie.blogspot.com/
+ ( TWITTER ) : http://twitter.com/xoxo_steppie

Giveaway Winner Update:



Congrats to Lindsey Lu! Watch for an email from Steppie! xo