Folksy Celebrities - Quite Contrary Crafts

Name: Mary
From: Lancashire
Occupation: Currently on the job hunt (being able to do my craft all day for the minute is brilliant, but proving a serious distraction to getting bill money in!)
Favourite colour: turquoise / deep green
Favourite animal: Red Squirrel
Favourite band: Take That
Favourite book: Anything by Jasper Fford, they’re so quirky, witty, and very cleverly written

Shop / Business name:
Quite Contrary Crafts

What you make:
Hand Cut personalised cards, Framed Papercuts and now some mugs!

How did you know you were crafty / artistic?
Probably as soon as I started drawing on anything I could get my hands on from an early age, sorry mum! Kept winning the art prizes at Primary school too, teehee!

What was the first thing you ever made?
As in when I was a mini-me? I bet it was either a toilet roll person, or a slightly squiffy version of Tracey Island. Oh, and lots of home drawn cards (may require LOTS of imagination from Mummy & Daddy…) All grown up, I got back into it after Uni, when I realised I really missed the creative me. I made a special personalised canvas for my brother and a card – and there you have it!

Do you have any formal training or who taught you what you know?
Nope, no cutting knife training at all – loose woman with a lethal weapon here! Taught myself, and am still learning, with a few accidental trimmings of my nails here and there… I did Art up to A-Level though and tried to do something creative for birthdays after that, keep those creative juices a-flowin’!

How did your craft business come about?
I’ve always made cards for my family, from whatever materials I happened to find, and then struck upon cutting out a Christmas star in the centre of a card (kind of like those ones you saw on Blue Peter with something dangling in the middle of it…just a bit less technical minus the hanging bit, and more delicate!), then did one for a Birthday, and someone at work saw it and wanted to have one too…and the rest is history ;0)

Where and when do you do your crafting?
I’ve just re-located back to the North from London, so have upgraded from taking over the dining table (my poor flatmates must have heaved a sigh of relief when I left!), and now have a rather snazzy big desk thanks to Ikea. Also being on the job hunt means more time for cutting (I know, it should be applications 24/7…), so I’m all set up in a little office I share with my boyfriend, in his little cottage in the country. Aw.

Tell me something surprising about yourself:
I flashed my knickers on BBC News - Northwest Tonight when I was 4. Stuart Miles was reporting from Southport Flowershow and I obviously got bored. Unfortunately the videotape got recorded over by Baba…

Which Folksy / Etsy shop can you not get enough of?
Oo, there’s so many! At the minute, I love looking at TerrorDome’s framed butterflies, they’re just so beautiful and delicate. And also funny as one’s from the pages of a Mills & Boon!

Why is handmade / crafting important to you?
It’s one of the few practises which comes straight from the heart; the item you’ve bought from that crafter was made just by them and is unique, not some factory in China where they make 20,000 each day of what your holding. Handmade items have a personality too, and some are just so awe-inspiring when you know they’ve been made by someone, not a machine!

Is it just me or is crafting really hot right now?
Totally! I’m loving it – long live Folksy, Etsy and everywhere like that, let’s get handmade treasures even bigger!! It’s massive in the US – can’t wait ‘til it’s like that here!

Tell me why I should buy something from you!
Buy something from me because they’re pretty darn funky, special, unique, and take a lot of love and time to create – definitely a keepsake! Oh, and I pretty much do any request too – ranging from a swan and dragon card, to a pineapple wearing a party hat. Honest! I love days like that!

Ok you’ve got me convinced! Where can I find you?
My main shop is Folksy

and for any oversees customers, check out my Etsy shop

Plus I have a lovely little blog, featuring a give-away at the minute!

And like to tweet too