An Interview with Lupin!

I interviewed Laura a while ago, and am just finally getting it posted now :) she makes the cutest little felt creations and has become a very successful etsy seller.

My name is Laura Howard, often known as Lupin, and I make things out of felt. I have my own website ( http://lupinhandmade.com ) as well as shops on Etsy, Folksy and DaWanda, where I sell felt brooches, headbands, masks and other fun accessories as well as colourful crafting supplies. I'm in love with colour and try to fill my shops with as many bright and cheerful things as possible!



I blog most days ( http://bugsandfishes.blogspot.com ), writing about my works in progress, new designs, crafty tutorials and lots of other things that pop into my head :)




1.) Have you always been crafty? When did you first start making things?

I was definitely a crafty kid! I used to have a big box in my room filled with all sorts of odd things that I hoarded in case they could be used for a project - pretty paper, colourful sweet wrappers, scraps of fabric and cardboard boxes.

I used to make a lot of cards and presents for people and lots of dolls houses and accessories for my sisters to play with, like little felt hats for their toys. They find it quite funny that I've managed to turn this into a career!



2.) You make a lot of things from felt - do you like to do any other type of crafts with other mediums?

I mostly work with felt, but this year I've rediscovered the joys of cross stitch, I knit a little bit, bake a bit and I really love paper crafting. I love making cards for people, wrapping birthday gifts elaborately, and making lots of homemade Christmas decorations. It's great having some crafting that has nothing to do with "work" but is just for fun, and I still can't bear to throw away a nice bit of shiny paper...




3.) Do you have a studio, or an area in your home where you work? What is it like?

I don't have a dedicated studio space so I just end up taking my work with me round the house. I have an office space in the kitchen, and often work at the kitchen table for some of the day and then do some sewing on the sofa in the lounge in the evenings while we watch TV. Most rooms of our house have some supplies tucked away in them somewhere - my sewing is starting to take over the whole house!




4.) What inspires you?

I love colour, and often just a certain shade of felt or playing around with colour combinations can spark a new idea. I adore flowers and enjoy the challenge of recreating something so pretty from nature in felt. I also love birds and the British countryside, and have a very English love of tea and cake... themes which pop up in my work quite a lot.




5.) Tell us about a goal or skill that you would like to learn for the future.. related to creative pursuits or otherwise.

I really want to learn how to knit" properly". I learned to knit almost as early as I learned to sew, but have always felt much more confident with sewing and have only ever knitted simple things like scarves. One of my new year's resolutions this year was to try knitting some more complicated things, but so far I've only managed more scarves. I think it's quite possible that all my friends will be getting scarves for Christmas this year!