Today is the first day of my Feature Friday segment! I'm so excited to get started. I'm pleased to introduce Nicola, owner of Jolie Papeterie and Ambient Girl Designs. Nicola makes beautiful custom invitations.
Introduction - Tell us about yourself.I was born and raised in Johannesburg South Africa. My family and I moved to Canada in 1997 after it became too dangerous to live there. Canada has been great so far although I'm still finding it hard to adjust to the frigid winters!
I live with my wonderful husband and my gorgeous son in a beautiful neighbourhood. I currently own two etsy stores, one doing cards, invitations and gift tags and the other specifically for bridal. I also own and run Indie Junction, a networking site for indie artisans along with my good friend Deb Hall of zurdesigns (
http://www.etsy.com/shop/zurdesigns). She is a wonderful woman and has been a huge factor in motivating me to work hard.
How did you get started?I have loved arts and crafts my entire life and excelled in it in school. In college, I ended up taking a one year course called Art Fundamentals which is a portfolio building course and then went on to get my diploma in Crafts & Design with a major in glassblowing and a minor in ceramics.
After graduating in 2005 I started creating lampworked jewelry from home and selling it. I then decided that I would like to try something different and started working with paper. I made cards, gift tags and invitations and fell in love! I designed my own wedding invitations in 2007 and did a lot of DIY making my own card box, place cards, lanterns etc. I ended up doing the same thing for my sister's wedding. I decided to start Jolie Papeterie Boutique after a bridal store owner told me I should do it professionally. So far it has worked out wonderfully!
Besides crafting, what else do you do? What are your other interests?I used to be a dancer. I danced for 21 years doing ballet, jazz, tap, latin american, ballroom and finally Irish dance. I ended up having to retire after fracturing my left food seven times and developing arthritis. I continued to teach for a couple of years after retiring until about 2 years ago.
In your opinion, what sets you apart from the rest?I think what sets me apart the most from the rest is that all of my designs are completely unique. I do NOT use stock images like so many other invitation designers out there. My designs are created from scratch so you will not find them anywhere else.
Describe your creative process. What inspires you?
I have so many things that inspire me. I'm inspired by people I meet, places I've been and things I've seen.
My biggest inspiration comes from my husband and son, they motivate me to work my hardest everyday. My friend Deb is also a huge inspiration and has helped me in so many ways I cannot thank her enough. I usually find my creativity is more alive during the night. I lay in bed for hours thinking about what I'm going to design next or the next project I'm going to be working on. That's not always a good thing as I have to wake up to a toddler each morning!
What is your favorite item in your Etsy shop?Ooh this is a tough one. I think my favourite item in my etsy shop right now would be my 'carousel invitations'. They are fun and bright and look great with any colour combination! I have to say that my 'corset' invitations are pretty close behind!
What is the most exciting thing that has happened since you've started?The amount of interest I have been able to generate! I have only been official for a couple of months and I have already had orders and loads of quote requests. I have met with some wonderful clients and have also been able to network with some wonderful professionals!
What are 5 things that you could never do without?My family, my friends, my computer, my cellphone and coffee!
If you had one wish, what would it be?To be a millionaire! (Just kidding!) My one wish would to be successful so that my husband could quit his second job and stay home more. If all goes well this may actually come true, fingers crossed!
What advice would you give someone new to Etsy?Keep chugging along! You NEED to promote your work if you are wanting to sell. I think the common misconception of new sellers is, 'if I upload it, it will automatically sell' NOT TRUE! Random sales do happen but you need to work at it. Sometimes it takes a while for your work to get views don't be discouraged. Keep doing what you love and it will all pay off:)
Contact info: (blog, twitter, website, Facebook, e-mail, Etsy?)Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/joliepapeteriehttp://www.etsy.com/shop/ambientgirldesignsFacebookhttp://www.facebook.com/JoliePapeterieBoutiquehttp://www.facebook.com/AmbientGirlDesignsWebsitehttp://www.joliepapeterie.com/Email info@joliepapeterie.com 
