Silvia - Look Mama Made It

Silvia is from Lisbon, Portugal and you HAVE to check her shop out. She makes the cutest little felted miniatures - they are so cute! She says their for children, however, I know more than a few adults that would be captivated by her creations. I'm thinking my 4 year old niece would just fall in love with her little miniatures

Here's more information about Silvia:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

My shop is where I try to make an old dream come true - I always wanted to make toys and beautiful things, and I am particularly fond of miniatures and small-scale objects. In my shop I sell my handmade creations, mainly (but not only) thought for children, and designed to encourage pretend play. I work with a lovely wool blend felt, and offer several kinds of felt food, and even complete meals. My favorite items are probably the colorful, soft and detailed pieces of fruit and vegetables, but I also like my "classic" birthday cake a lot - it is very versatile, can be made in almost any color, and easily transformed, for instance, with the addition of some strawberries. I also make other softies, such as dolls and bears, each with a personality of its own, and several accessories.

How long have you been in business?

Well, I started to sell my toys in the beginning of March 2008, so I've been in business for only four and a half months. I fact, I sold my first softie on my birthday, March 3rd!

Where do you sell your creations?

My favorite place to sell is my Etsy shop, called “Look, Mama Made It” (after my daughter's favorite sentence). You can see it at www.lookmamamadeit.etsy.com. I also sell to people who contact me through my blog, www.ameninabrinca.blogspot.com, but I prefer to direct those sales to Etsy, unless they are local customers. The rest of my sales are due to word-to-mouth advertising. My toys are entirely handmade, and I am a bit of a perfectionist, so they take me quite some time to craft and I simply cannot make enough items to sell anywhere else.

Do you have a blog or web-site?

As stated before, I have a blog, at www.ameninabrinca.blogspot.com. It is written in Portuguese and English, so don't be afraid to visit me!

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

It is SO hard to pick one. Well, I cannot really choose just one, but today I will have to say Allsorts (www.allsorts.typepad.com). It is one of those blogs I always read, and a feast to the eyes. Jenny is generous enough to share her wonderful ideas, and even patterns, with her readers. And both me and my daughter love her illustrations and online dress-up games. Plus, I just found out she was featuring one of my cakes among her Etsy shopping favorites. How nice is that?

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you'll be participating in this year?

I won't be able to do any craft fairs this year, since I am still trying to establish the customer base of my small business. Also, I have to divide myself between crafting, a full time job, and a 5-year-old daughter! At the moment, I am not able to assure a reasonable stock in order to participate in a fair. But one day!