Friday Follower - Sandra

It's been a while since I have put the spotlight on one of my talented followers but I have been wanting to get back to doing so by introducing a weekly column entitled "Friday Follower".

I love finding out more about my followers who are such a creative bunch and hope that you will enjoy and be inspired by them too. First up, we have the lovely Sandra Eterovic of creative hot spot Melbourne.

What doesn't this lady do? She paints, she designs and she knits!

Sandra's creations are available through her etsy shop.

Make Your Own Man incorporates 4 species of the Melbourne modern male.

I love this lady's sense of humour so let's ask her some questions and find out who she is:

1. How did you make the decision to start your etsy store?
I thought that etsy would be a good precursor to selling my work in a retail environment. Besides being a bit shy about going around selling things, I love being part of a network of creative people from all corners of the globe.

2. Do you have a design background?
I studied art history at university but then realised that I felt happier making things myself rather than writing about what others had already made.
I then did a general art course at TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and got a job in the fashion industry through my Illustration Major, designing motifs for men's boxer shorts!

3. I love your painted mirrors and get the impression that you have a great sense of fun! How did you come up with the idea?
Thanks Thea, that's lovely! I was in a shop looking at some round canvases and thought they might be nice for paintings of faces. Holding that thought, I then spotted some round mirrors, and automatically transferred the idea to that medium. Obviously then the viewer's face would become part of the experience and therefore it made sense to just paint part of a face or head. It is funny how ideas come about, isn't it?

4. What else do you do?
I work part-time at Seed designing children's t-shirt prints and fabric yardages. I have also designed bed linen, toys, accessories, greeting cards and product packaging for the brand.

5. Do you have any future plans for your craft business?
I would like to sell in a retail environment as well as online. Melbourne is a great craft city and I would be very pleased to have my products in one or two of our beautiful stores! Sometimes I dream of having a little atelier too, like the craftspeople still do in Florence.

6. Is there something interesting about you that you could share and that isn't common knowledge?
I like to bake cakes. My current winner is the Pink Coconut Ice Cake from the Women's Weekly. If you ever come down to Melbourne we can have a few slices with a cup of tea. Thanks Thea!

Well, thank you Sandra. I never say no to cake and tea so I will take you up on your sweet offer when I visit in May (Stitches and Craft Show people).

Next week's Friday Follower may be a day late as I will be in Sydney.