Hi all!
Well it's Monday, and time to meet another wonderful Indie Biz peep of mine! I'm happy to introduce the super adorable and talented Brooke of HumbleB!
1) How & when did you get started? What made you choose your particular craft?
I come from a very artistic background. My mom sewed most of our clothes when we were little and my dad was a writer and artist. Two of my sisters majored in graphic design and now work for Colorbok designing scrapbooking products. When I was younger, I dreamed up being a real artist, but I just wasn't good at it. I felt like a misfit in my own family, the only one without a talent.
I only learned to sew about a year ago. My mom had recently gotten a new sewing machine and one day I decided a wanted to sew a stuffed platypus. I sat myself down with a few fat quarters and the sewing machine manual and figured it out best I could.
I finished the platypus, and then I sewed a bunny.
And then, my mom bought me my own sewing machine for me to take with me to college. Since then I have been teaching myself everything I can about sewing, often spending hours on the phone with my mom having her work me through particularly confusing bits.
After getting the hang of basic sewing, I branched out and became a huge fan of embroidery. It seems to antiquated to some, but I love they way it looks, and using the old art form to create beautiful modern (or even silly) designs is so rewarding!
Now, I focus on making unique products that often combine more than one skill. I hope to open my etsy shop in the next month. It will feature lots of embroidered goodies, like hand embroidered notebooks, homemade baby quilts, softies, headbands and other handsewn goodness.
2) Where do you find your inspiration? What's your creative process?
I find inspiration everywhere. I live in near the ocean and love the white, light, linen, nautical touches that are in my community. I also find inspiration from my family: my two graphic designer sisters also love to craft and we frequently exchange ideas and inspiration.
My creative process varies. For small projects, I like to try and tackle a prototype as soon as I get the idea. I love thinking of something and then just because able to sit down and make it. This works excellently for small projects.
For larger projects, I like to take my time planning and finding the perfect materials. Often, when I know I am going to be tackling a the start of a large project that I won't finish in one day, I will begin with a small, easy project so I can have the satisfaction of already having made something that day. It keeps me from getting frustrated if I run into problems with the larger project, I think.
3) What are your top 5 fave blogs/sites?
There are so many great blogs and websites out there, and often if I am dry on inspiration, I will check these out to get my mind spinning. These are just a few of my favorites:
Bliss is a great blog for pretty pictures and inspiration. http://blissfulb.blogspot.com/
Dottie Angel has awesome pictures and makes adorable products! http://dottieangel.blogspot.com/
Bloesem is all about the eye candy: http://www.bloesem.blogs.com/
Post Grad Hair Cut is so modern and fun, and has excellent links: http://postgradhaircut.blogspot.com/
going home to roost has great ideas:) http://www.goinghometoroost.com/
4) Where can we find more of you?(website,blogs,shop etc)
I love all social networking, and you can find me here:
www.twitter.com/brookebischoff
www.humbleB-blog.blogspot.com
www.flikr.com/photos/humble_b
www.humbleB.tumblr.com
And my shop is not existent yet.. But look for coming up information on my blog!
5) Tell us something exciting that is coming up in your shop or blog...
Coming up in the blog, are a couple really fun how-to's, a giveaway when I reach fifty followers, and more sneak peeks of the products that will be in my shop.
Also, keep your eye out for my SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT coming in the next month.
6) Fill in your favorite...
Drink: Unsweetend Iced Passion Tea from Starbucks! (So delicious, and such a nice color)
Food: Can't live without vegetarian burritos from Chipotle. Sooo yum!
Color: Oh, that's hard to choose. I think it might be grey because it's chic and so versatile.
Accessory: A purpley knit cowl my sister knitted for me!
Current Trend/Obsession: Nautical knots!! So pretty!
7) And lastly, what's in your bag right now?
My bag is a grey one from H&M that holds a TON! I love it! Unfortunately I forgot to get a picture of it...
In my bag right now is: My Indie Biz binder, my philosophy notebook (I am a student after all), my journal, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (It was just okay), and my planner.
I also have four different pens I really don't use pencil), my ipod and skullcandy headphones (they work so well!), my MyTouch phone, Benefit BadGal mascara in plum, mini tweezers, a hair tie and some pins, stamps, a parking ticket (whoops) and my $12 sunglasses from target.
Also, I guess my wallet didn't make it into this picture. I have a yellow faux-leather wallet that I got from the Nordstrom's Outlet for like $13, a steal!
I had so much fun sharing this with you! Thank you to Meaghan for asking me to be featured! I am so honored, and I hope to see some of you over at my blog!
I hope you all have a great week! I'm off to the coast for Spring Camp that I mentioned in my Blog It Forward post last month! The girls came over for a fun night of preparation and we're ready for some epic girl-camping! I'll be back Wednesday and will post lots of Spring Camp pics! See you tomorrow for a "previously recorded" Turquoise Tuesday! ;)
xo,
Meaghan @ Urban Farm Designs
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