Pimp Stitch

About the Designers - Tamie Snow

This week we feature our last designer, Tamie Snow of Roxycraft.com.

Tamie Snow lives in Folsom, CA (not in the prison) and from her home emanates the stench of craftivity.
She spends her days crocheting dolls for Roxycraft, sketching designs for Pimp Stitch and trying not to get any housework done in the mean time.
Tamie is now 30 (since last Saturday), there we said it, she's old, she's getting up there, she’s on the brink of death (not really).
Tamie has been married for 6 happy years, Mama to Jackson (most days) and doggie Mama to Bear the yellow lab (hardly ever).
She happily accepts your pity.

1: What do you do when you're not Pimping Stitches?
Crocheting like a crazed mental patient, chasing a two year old around with Neosporin in hand, watching far too many Disney movies and way way too much Word World.
Also, taking my sainted, patient and hard-working husband for granted and working in my lime green office on Roxycraft and Pimp Stitch.
2: What inspires you?
Gosh, just about everything, my son mostly. When drawing pictures or making dolls, I have been known to go straight
to the source and ask him what I should make. I'd say about 90% of the time, I do exactly that.
3: When you were 6, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An actress. I was a complete drama geek up until I met my husband.
It was pretty much understood that I was going to be on Broadway. Somewhere along the way, I lost my taste for it.
4: What do you want to be when you grow up now?
A good person. A smart person. Independently wealthy too. *wink*
5: What's your favorite song?
Right now it has to be "Baby Mine". I have been singing it to Jackson since he was in utero and he JUST started singing along! *heart melt*
But as for the grown-up type stuff...I'm an old fart. I love music! I love 40's jazz standards,
50's rock, 60's soul, 70's everything! And my biggest soft spot is the 80's! Give me Aretha or give me death! I'll also take Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow. When was I born again?
6: And what's one weird habit you have?
One? Hmmm...I have to wear earplugs to sleep. It started out because of my snoring spouse, but now I CAN NOT sleep without them...regardless.
7: Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9pm?
Depends...Is Big Brother in season?
8: What's your greatest phobia?
It's a toss up between bees and skunks. I have literally been chased by a skunk!
Bees are my daily torment and there are hardly any skunks where I live now...so I'd say bees win.

Here’s a glimpse of what Tamie brings to the Pimp Stitch table. Are you excited yet?

  

Visit Tamie's About page to learn more.

Next week, hold on to your bloomers, we’ll be giving away FREE patterns all month until our launch! So stay tuned!!!

About the Designers - Lauren Brandy

Another week another designer! This week we'll be meeting the fabulously talented Lauren Brandy of goody-goody and laurenbrandy.com

Lauren never met a hobby she didn't like. Her closets, garage and almost every inch of spare storage are occupied by her various pursuits.

Papermaking? Check. Stained glass? Check. Soy candles? Check. And the list goes on. You name it, she's probably tried it. Her crafts have led her in various directions at times--printmaking, sewing, painting, jewelry making--but always with an emphasis on color, pattern and yummy designs. For the past two years, she's concentrated on her relationship with her sewing machine. They fight. They make up. They will probably go to couple's therapy one day. But in the meantime, Lauren continues to make items with a mish-mash of vintage, color, retro, tacky, practical, useless, fun and flair. She hopes to open up a second etsy shop this summer, two+shoes press, in addition to goody-goody, that will feature her prints, cards and gocco love.

Lauren resides in Davis, California with her three biggest loves--the hub + two delicious daughters--and a few small feathered and furry ones, too.

Each of the designers were sent an interview questionnaire so that you guys could get to know us better and here is what Lauren Brandy had to say about these burning questions...this is intense stuff folks!

1.What do you do when you're not pimping stitches?
Driving little ones around town in circles..making the world's worst pb&j's...thinking about what I'm going to eat next. Seriously, I'm usually squeezing in some crafty project or waiting for the hub to come home and tag team so I can disappear into my studio for a while. I love making projects from start to finish in a few hours or else they'll just disappear into the WIP basket forever. I'm a very instant-gratification type gal, which works well for aprons and totes...not so well for house painting or kitchen remodels.
2.What inspires you?
Oh, wow...everything. My paintings are mostly local landscapes because I find the Central Valley so beautiful and inspiring--no matter where you look. For my other crafts, it could be any thing from a color combination I see in an ad or a memory of my Great Aunt's kitchen. What? You don't find avocado green, gold and brown inspiring?
3.When you were six, what did you want to be when you grow up?
Well..duh. Mary Poppins, of course. That character is the perfect combination of obsessive-compulsive, creativity and imagination--all wrapped in a beautiful, impeccably dressed package. Yeah, I was a little complex when I was six.
4.What do you want to be when you grow up now?
A good mom. An artist.
Both.
5.What's your favorite song?
That's a tough one. Depends on my mood.
Not that I'm moody. Okay, yes I am. For dancing with my girls? Hands down ABBA. For feeling indie and emo? Rilo Kiley. For crabby, dry humor and irony? CAKE. Wait, those are artists, not songs. Sorry.
6.What's one weird habit you have?
Do I have to limit it to one? I think we are all essentially a bunch of weird habits strung together. I hiccup at the first big sip of soda. Like, whew! that's strong stuff! I like to hold onto the sink while brushing my teeth. You never know when the big one's gonna hit. I like to have my towels tri-folded, even if it means I have to re-fold them. I know, my habits aren't as cute as kitty sniffing, but what can you do.
7.Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9 pm?
Having cookies with the hub and falling asleep on the sofa in a pile of laundry shortly thereafter. Do I know how to have a good time or what?
8.What's your greatest phobia?
The house burning down due to electrical shorts in cheap electronic appliances, mainly toasters.
Seriously. It could happen. When we go away, I unplug them all.

Thanks Lauren for letting us pick your brain! Here is a taste of what will be shooting from Lauren's brain in the coming months...we are in for a treat!

More About Lauren here.

About the Designers - Amy Cluck

Another week has past and it time again to introduce you to another one of our fabulous designers here at Pimp Stitch. Her name, Amy Cluck. Her style, kitchy+cute+FUN!

Amy grew up making handmade Christmas gifts and home-baked cookies for as far back as she can remember. She never thought being crafty was something special. Then she went off to college, earning her BA in multimedia at CSU, Sacramento. During that time, pink became "the new black" to which Amy took full advantage because she had always loved that color. She wore pink tennis shoes and a pink backpack and just about everything she owned and loved was the color pink. As a joke, her friends began to call her Peptogirl and the name stuck. Amy loved the name so much - it made her feel like she was some kind of pink superhero - and therefore Peptogirl soon became a cartoon character with a whole gang of super-hero friends.
Once Amy graduated college, she once again had time for crafting. In the summer of 2005, she happily discovered many other "hip" crafters out there (through the internet) and began creating a web site at once. There was never any question about what the name of her business would be. Peptogirl Industries had begun.
Since then, Amy has founded the Sacramento Craft Mafia (www.sacramentocraftmafia.com) and an alternative craft faire called IndieSacramento (www.indiesacramento.com).
Amy works as a web designer in her hometown of Sacramento, California. She lives and crafts with her soon-to-be finance and her two cats, Morgan and Marshmallow.

Each of the designers were sent an interview questionnaire so that you guys could get to know us better and here is what Amy Cluck had to say about these burning questions...this is intense stuff folks!

1: What do you do when you're not Pimping Stitches?
When I'm not Pimping Stitches, I love making jewelry from everyday objects like buttons, toys, guitar picks, and bottle caps. I love being able to take an everyday object that people often take for granted and put it in a new light.
I rarely sit still so you can bet that if I'm not Pimping Stitches or sleeping, then I've got some other new project up my sleeve.
2: What inspires you?
I love all things vintage. I think the 50s is my favorite era but I also love to embrace the fun fashion mistakes that we made in the 80s. That was such a fun time in fashion and since I grew up in the 80s, it's also nastolgic for me.
3: When you were 6, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was 6, I wanted to be an "arthur" when I grew up. I wanted to write but also to do illustrations.
4: What do you want to be when you grow up now?
I guess I still wouldn't mind writing a book some day - you never know. I'd also love to open my own shop. Whatever I end up doing, I really just want to get paid for crafting all day! Don't we all?!
5: What's your favorite song?
That's a tough one. I like music that uses humor so pretty much anything by the Barenaked Ladies. If I had to pick one, I'd say "If I Had $1000000." There's a line in there that says "I'd buy you a green dress (but not a real green dress, that's cruel)" which always cracks me up because I actually had an ex-boyfriend buy me a green dress once.
6: And what's one weird habit you have?
You know how some people love the smell of babies or new car smell? Well, not me, I love the way a kitty smells. I like to hold my kitty close to my face and inhale. I guess that's a pretty weird habit.
7: Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9pm?
This is going to make me sound old but probably asleep on the couch! I run around like a busy bee all day and the minute I sit down to veg, I normally fall asleep. Unless there's something really good on TV. Either that or I'm blogging or uploading photos, or reading someone else's blog.
8: What's your greatest phobia?
Probably spiders. I really don't like anything that's creepy and crawly. I'm getting the willys just thinking about it.

And now a preview of what you can expect to see coming out of Amy's mind...soooo cute!

the caption reads: "you are the cheese to my macaroni" and Amy Cluck most certainly is the cheese to our macaroni! Can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Visit her About page to learn even more about Amy.

About the Designers - Missy Ballance

Each week we'll be telling you more about each of the designers behind Pimpstitch.com. This week our featured designers is Ms. Missy Ballance of Mohair Circus and Crafty Carnival fame.

As you can see from her website and blog, this girl knows cute. She lives and breathes adorable. Hailing from sunny Sacramento, CA where she lives with her husband and two gorgeous daughters, she makes the most cuterrific stuff in town.

Each of the designers were sent an interview questionnaire so that you guys could get to know us better and here is what Missy Ballnce had to say about these burning questions...this is intense stuff folks!

1: What do you do when you're not Pimping Stitches?

Kids, kids, kids!!!  Softball practice, art classes, movies, you name it!  I'm always out and about with the kids!  I also work part time for a construction company, and I'm involved with the Sacramento Craft Mafia.

2: What inspires you?

I love all of the cartoons on Nickelodeon.  I love the colors of anything Martha Stewart, and I love going to Antique shows for inspiration.

3: When you were 6, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A teacher or a marine biologist.

4: What do you want to be when you grow up now?

A business woman!  LOL!

5: What's your favorite song?

We Laughed Until We Cried by Jason Aldean, but really anything by him or Blake Shelton.  I LOVE them both!

6: And what's one weird habit you have?

I sing happy birthday to myself every time I brush my teeth because I heard a loooooong time ago that is the right amount of time to brush your teeth.

7: Where are you on an average Tuesday night at 9pm?

Doing laundry right after the kids go to bed, and then checking emails.

8: What's your greatest phobia?

Bridges and cliffs.  They are equal.... no Grand Canyon for me, thanks!  But other heights are okay, like being on a balcony, or a really high ride.  Just not on a bridge or cliff!

Here is a preview of what kind of embroidery patterns you can expect from Missy Ballance here at Pimp Stitch. Hold onto your hat: