Artisan of the Week, Felicia of Fluffy Flowers

Felicia is an active member of the Etsy community and it's been a pleasure talking to her on the forums there. I asked her to be an Artisan of the week because I love her sense of fun and the way she expresses it in what she makes. Add to that the fact that a lot of what she makes comes from recycled sources and I just couldn't resist inviting her to tell us a bit about herself. You can find all her lovely creatures at Fluffy Flowers on Etsy.


1. Could you please introduce us to who you are and what you do?
I'm Felicia of Fluffy Flowers. I grew up out in the country in Florida in the seventies when there where still lots of farms around. Eventually I made my way to middle Georgia and although I still feel quite landlocked, I do enjoy the seasonal changes and mountains. I've crafted all my life and the last year or so I've spent a lot of time making handmade loveable creatures from recycled clothing.

2. What led you to take up your craft?
It wasn’t really a conscious decision. All of the women in my family are extremely talented. So talented in fact that I was a bit intimidated by their creations. When it came time for me to choose a craft I picked one that no one else in my family did, knitting. I figured there would be no one else’s work to compare it too!

I’ve spent many years trying out different crafts and only fell into creature making by accident. I’m a big supporter of recycling and I had a lot of old clothes that I hadn’t donated yet. One day I went to the pile and found an accidentally felted wool sweater and somehow managed to turn it into a kitty. At that moment I knew I had to make creatures.


3. Which part of your work do you most enjoy?
I really enjoy making adorable creatures from stuff that would probably end up being thrown away. One of my favorite creature is Skivvy the Bra Wonder . She was made for a Use What You Have Challenge and is constructed from two pushup bra inserts. I giggled the entire time I was making her and she turned out even cuter then I expected.

4. Which part do you find hardest?
The toughest part is when I can feel the creative energy in my fingertips but everything I try is a disaster. That's when badly formed creatures go flying across the room and I storm out of the studio in disgust. I find its better to wait a day or two before going back and trying again. We all have bad creative days but hopefully the good days will out number them!


5. Where do you hope to be in 1 year’s time?
I'd like to try new and innovative creature making techniques. I'm also planning to expand my Fluffy Flowers shop into a bigger and more diverse place.

6. What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Don’t be afraid to try. If you have creative design ideas then let them out and see what happens.


7. Name other artisans sites/shops would you recommend are worth a visit?
There are so many talented folks out there that its almost hard to say! I've got a whole blogroll on my blog of lovely folks I admire.

8. What is your favourite sandwich filling?
Peanut butter & Jelly, of course!

Thank you so much for letting me share my Fluffy Flowers world with your readers.


Thank you Felicia for taking part in our blog. Captain Skulduggery Dug likes the look of this little Thomas Tillerman Pirate kitty. So if he goes missing, you know where he is! He'll be sailing the seven seas with her. I very much look forward to seeing all the new critters that arrive in your shop. They all have such great stories to share. Take a look dear readers and see if Felicia has a creature for you to give a new home to.