Natamon

1. Please introduce yourself, and you alter ego...o.k....especially your alter ego...

Hi! My name is Natalie and 'Natamon'(my alter ego). Natamon (which would mean 'Natalie Monster' in Japanese) is the creative, whimsical side of me, with a very large dash of the theatrical and bizarre. She has a voracious appetite for all things creative, cute, and even random. My regular self would be content to see and pet a cute dog. However, my Natamon side would like to dress it up, and place it in a themed photo shoot cooking breakfast. Natamon also has cute demands that must get met, otherwise, she gets very sad!

2. The relationship between animals, (insects as well) and humans in your shop is much explored...How do you relate to animals in your own life?

I relate to animals very closely, with dogs and cats having a particularly special place in the top two. Mind you, I adore just about any animal, including ones that most people would not find cute in nature, like warthogs. There is a peace I feel inside, when I watch animals simply 'be themselves'. I respect and enjoy the harmony of them being part of creation, and can truly see how they benefit us all. I think they help to calm the heart and make is smile.

3. I adore lemurs. This is no secret. Can you tell more about Soup for Two...?


The artwork called,'Soup for Two', is really part of my fascination with animals doing things with people, in a very human, personified way. I had not yet captured an art piece with a lemur in it, and thought the animal would make a very find guest to have soup with, in my mind's eye.

Commercials where animals are doing human things, snag my attention as if I am 3-years-old, I find them so adorable.

I also wanted to create a snapshot-in-the-life-of the characters in this piece, a bit like you were sitting alongside them eating. The mood of the artwork is docile and quaint, where the animal and girl are simply enjoying the flavor of the meal, and their company. I guess you could say it creates a storybook page quality too.

4. Names, where did the name of your parallel store, (dream trappings), come from?

I found myself on the brink of falling head over heels for jewelry designing, and knew I wanted to have my own shop to share these creations. So, deciding upon a name, I began researching less likely sources online for inspiration, such as a website which had old Victorian slang. This led me to further jog my mind about and settle on 'trappings', to describe the pretty jewelry that so many love to wear. It was a word I rarely hear. This was combined with the word,'dream', because I just felt it fit.


5. What animal do you most identify with, and why?

Most people would compare me to a cat I think, but I identify with dogs more than any animal.(My husband says I am much like a woodland creature, such as a rabbit or squirrel) Dogs, if well trained, are easy going, and loyal-which are qualities I can identify with. There is something about their attentive stares and love for what is basic in life. Love, food, rest and play. I appreciate those things very much too.

6. Are you a morning, evening, or afternoon
person?

Certainly most of my life, I have been a night person. It has been a task trying to fight it, because
the day yields to so much needing to be done at that time!


7. Imagine and describe the perfect morning,
afternoon, or evening...

The perfect afternoon would be a fabulous temperature,(not too hot or too cold) shopping for lots of beads and art supplies, making projects with them, with a giant meal at my favorite restaurant for the early dinner finish.

8. Who and what inspires you?

First and foremost? God. I cannot have true inspiration without giving Him my thoughts and day to direct. He centers me, gets me off an running helps my work unfold. In the earthly sense, I think simply looking at ordinary photos of people and animals.

Many times, when I look at a photograph, I see what could be added or changed to create artwork incorporating it. Every once in a while, the actual art of others will inspire me.
Colors also, are a huge inspiration. I will look at everything from patterns in clothing, scrapbook papers-stained glass windows and find myself trying to memorize the colors I see side by side. I will then usually take those colors, write them down and think,'Ok, what can I make with these?!' That process is very enthusing, because it's a wonderfully fun challenge. I just adore color combinations and how they work together.

9. If you could choose another life, would you?

Many, many moons ago, I may have chosen another life. But seeing how both the good and bad in my life has shaped who I am thus far, it is hard to trade. I am not as close up to it all, now that the past is memory, which allows me to gain the grace of perspective. I may not understand everything, but much of it connects together, linking me with the now.

If I was someone else, no doubt the novelty would wear off after a short time, and I would miss the old me. I like to think my close friends and family would feel the same too.

You've seen it before

but it was not for sale at the time

The Beard Hat and Other Wonders

The Incredible Bead Hat!
from someone else's shop, as usual....

The idea was born in the midst of cube-jungle in the least creative of all places - the Accounting Department! My company had been going through a tough time and we were looking for something to laugh at. My coworker found a similar product online by a Scandinavian company that was trying to sell a bearded hat for over $150! He knew that I was a crocheter, so he suggested I try making them myself. I had made several hats and I found some patterns online for a similar product, so I combined different ideas to come up with the Amazing Beard Hat! I love hearing why people are buying it - one person thought it would be a great gag gift for her husband that couldn't grow a beard, another person gave it to her boyfriend to wear when he shovels the snow from her driveway, and another guy bought it to wear while sitting around drinking beer outside on a cold night!

When I'm not working or crocheting, I love to travel! I've been to 15 countries and I hope to add a couple more this year. I love crocheting while I travel (on airplane, trains, etc) because it's a great conversation starter and it makes the time go quickly. I love multi-tasking, and it's a great way to be productive, while also getting yourself from point A to point B.

Since I work at Circuit City (and most people know the end of that story) I'm going to have some free time in the near future. I'm hoping to generate enough sales to at least by a plane ticket to Europe to bum around and visit some friends. We'll see if that happens!

Spending a weekend without computer contact would be difficult! (I'd probably cheat and access mobile web on my phone!) I love to get away to the beach and just spend hours hanging out with friends staring out into the ocean while chatting, reading, going for walks.

Spending time on the water is another passion of mine. I've been waterskiing since I was young and I'm fortunate to spend almost every weekend of the summer hanging out on the James River. We've taught countless people to waterski or wakeboard.We've had plenty of crazy adventures on the water - one time we were having a picnic out on the boat and it started pouring - but we just continued the picnic anyways! Every few minutes we'd have to pour the water off the plates. Another time we were convinced we saw a big brown bear on the river banks... turns out it was just a cow. ;) I never laughed so hard as when my someone slipped while going down the ladder into the water and ended up getting caught on a hook and dangling from the side of the boat by her bathing suit!

Sprout Mama and the Apacolypse

Weekly Feature

Well, we may not have decided where we would be spending a zombie apocalypse, my friends are still torn between the high reaches of a mountain fortress, and a private yacht safely on the ocean, (well, if zombies don't float)...but assuming the economy takes a further dive, and infrastructure as we know it collapses...or everything melts and Kevin Costner shows up on a watercraft, or we find ourselves wandering the empty streets of London calling, hello, hello....now would be the time to gear up with sprout mama.... Sprout mama divides her store by local, ocean, forest, and desert, and her clothing, though apocalyptic in style, lends itself to an earthy sort of punk, environmental statement, or summer in nature...now, the interview....



1. Favorite apocalyptic film...

haha! i'm having a giveaway right now in which the person who guesses my favorite apocalyptic movie wins a prize, so lets just say it has a dog in it ;)

2. Now, beyond that film, if you had the budget, crew, and cast to spin out your own post-apocalyptic yarn, what would it be about? How would it look? Who would be in it?

oh man i've dreamed of this movie. it would start with a mother nature takes revenge type apocalypse...flooding, storms, locusts the works. after it all ends and settles and everyone who has survived is coming out of hiding and trying to start over a band of women finds each other and starts a journey across the country trying to get to where they think is salvation. they have to walk there and as they go on their journey they come to learn a lot about themselves and who their beliefs have all changed. before they make ti to their "salvation" they decide they don't want it anymore, so they stop along the way at some incredible place they find and make their own salvation. . . i want to make a comic about this....

"Things i am inspired by: comic books, post apocalypse movies,

the sound of bricks through windows, fresh baked bread, leather,
amazons, forests, feral children, rust."- sproutmama's Profile

3. Amazons? As in Amazon warriors? And if so, tell us your favorite Amazon story...

To me amazons is not just the women warriors of the amazon... i use the word to describe all the incredibly strong and powerful women that have influenced me. i am privileged enough to have so many incredible women in my life with so many stories to tell about Salli Marcella Grace. she was an amazing woman who traveled alone, carried a shank, hopped trains and belly danced. she was the most genuine person i know. a true warrior. during her last days she brought food and water to those on the border and taught belly dancing classes in Mexico and danced in benefits to help those in need. she was always such a positive person. at her memorial someone told a story of how one day Sali and a few of her friends cooked a dinner in Tuscan, Arizona. there wasn't much food and so every one got tiny portions. during dinner Sali burst out crying. she said;

" i cant sit here and eat this meal when people are out there suffering. in Mexico no one would eat a small meal like this, everyone shares with one another. they are so poor there and yet they give and give, here we only take".

After that Sali went back to Mexico and was going to perform her belly dance at a benefit show. she never made it there. her body was found a few weeks later in a cabin. we all miss her very much. but the thing about amazons, is that their strength inspires everyone around them. they never truly die.


4. Let's talk about the recurrent waves theme within your work....

the ocean is very special to me. the waves give me hope. not matter what ails you, the waves can wash it away. i had a daughter before my baby hunter was born. i watched the movie whale ride every single day that i was pregnant with her. when she was born i knew i would name her Paikea...the whale rider. i had a home birth with her and there were a lot of complications. she lived for nine days before we decided to take her off life support. the doctors told us there was no hope of her recovering. now whenever i think of her i see oceans. i know for certain they she has returned to the sea. a lot of mu designs lately have been a reflection of my memories of Paikea and of Sali.


5. About possibilities, tell the story of one of your favorite found pieces and subsequent creations...

Well, all of my materials are found pieces but there is one in particular. i was visiting my friend laddie at her cabin in the woods and as soon i stepped on her property i found this incredible stone. it was a smooth round rock and as i turned it over i noticed it had a perfect hole through it.

i saved it and saved it until i finally made a piece i felt fit. it sold right away to my lovely friend who had just found out she was pregnant, i wouldn't let her pay for it though lol. I'm glad she has it because the stone reminded me of birthing stones indigenous women used during childbirth. really all my pieces have stories. . .

Thanks again to Spourt Mama for this deeply personal, and fascinating interview. Readers, please link over to Sprout Mama's store if you haven't already, at sproutmama.etsy.com.

Upcoming

Tune-in in 9 days for an interview with Natamon, artist and jewelry artisan.

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Now is also a good time to have a look at Artsy Crafty, featured in my left side column.

A Gothic Punk Ebook Wedding.

The big day they say every girl dreams about, that last instant when the bride gazes into the mirror, is the black gown flowing as it should be? Are the ghouls in place?

The Wedding Skulls team specializes in a separate kind of wedding, customers with their own set of wants, needs, and atheistic that would stump the typical planner.


1. Has it been difficult to market e-products?

Not really. Because my products fall into such a niche (alternative weddings), and I KNOW where that niche hangs out on the internet, its simply a matter of making sure they know about my ebooks.

The great thing about ebooks is they don't require any supply costs, apart from an internet connection. They don't require shipping, or printing costs. They're VERY good for the environment, which I feel is important. They take awhile to write but once you've written one, you can resell it again and again. I really do believe that ebooks are a way of the future, although I won't be giving up on the printed word any time soon.



2. What advice would you have for vendors just beginning to market electronic and internet ware?

Research before you begin. Decide on a target market. Research similiar products availiable for that target market. What gaps are there? What information is your target market not recieving? Come up with a list of five or so ebook ideas. Then choose one to begin writing.


Write a business plan, and stick to it. It really helps focus your efforts.

Write a plan before you start your ebook. I find I write twice as fast when I've written a detailed plan.

If you're not a writer but you still want to market ebooks, hire a copywriter to turn your ideas into a sell-able book. Poorly-written ebooks WILL NOT SELL. Ditto with websites riddled with spelling and grammar errors, or poorly written marketing copy. If you can't do it, hire someone (like me :)) who can.

Pick ONE or TWO marketing projects and focus on doing them really well. I market on my blog and through discussion forums. I don't twitter, facebook, myspace, digg, or anything or that sort. If I did all that I wouldn't have time to write.

3. If you could have a steam punk style romantic getaway, how would it be, where would you go, how would you get there, and why?

Ooh, what an excellent question. I'd take a steam train journey - either across the Australian desert or along the orient express, stopped everywhere to look at museums and take pictures in the epic scenery.

4. I'd love to read about another dream Gothic or punk wedding...

My husband and I had our wedding at Spookers, a haunted insane asylum just north of Auckland, New Zealand. The nurses quarters of the old asylum have been turned into a haunted attraction. They regularly host functions but we were the first wedding.

We wanted the theme to be 'heavy metal' and everything we loved. We're both ex-archaeologists so we love swords and warriors and historical stuff, so we chose outfits that reflected that. Once my husband's mother declared he would NOT turn up in his ripped jeans and cannibal corpse shirt (our original plan), he designed his own outfit and chose his own sword (which we used to cut the cake). I sourced my dress from an online seller for a fraction of the cost of the same dress from a bridal shop. I didn't want flowers so I carried a lantern instead. Not one of our attendants matched.

What else? We exited our ceremony venue - a 150yr old circus tent - to Manowar's 'the gods made heavy metal'. We had our photos in the asylum grounds, making use of their awesome props like their old fashioned hearse. After the banquet all our guests got to go through the haunted attractions. Everyone picked on me! It was great fun. So many people said it was the best wedding they'd ever been to.


5. When can we begin to see more items in the other categories? (Of doom)

More products will be added over the next month, before we Officially launch, including more ebooks. The clothing / jewelery is made by my business partner Amy, and she's currently working with a photographer to capture her masterpieces. Trust me, these clothes are worth the wait... :)

When I get back from my Europe holiday in October I will be creating a line of alternative bath and beauty products, which will be a real treat.

6. Tell the story of one wedding fantasy, or real life nightmare,...

Well, we did have one horrible nightmare with our wedding rings. CDH (my husband - stands for Cantankerous Drummer Husband) designed our rings himself, based on an Anglo-Saxon design, a simple band with a rope border and a stone set inside the ring. Each was to be carved with 'twegan gastus in annes' - two souls as one'. His mother gave him some of HER grandmother's jewellery to melt down to make the rings.

So he takes the gold and his design to a jeweler and says 'can you make this?' The jeweler says 'no worries. I'll call you in two weeks when I've cut the molds.'

Six weeks goes by. CDH rings the jeweler several times, leaves messages, but gets no response. Finally, we go to the shop. It's disappeared, leaving no sign or forwarding address or phone number. hey have our gold.

We're ready to go to the police, but CDH's mother is determined to get her gold back on her own. She talks to all the nearby shop owners and tracks down several phone numbers. Eventually, finally she contacts the guy, who apologizes profusely, and turns up at their house with a nearly-completed ring. Boy did he get a blowing-up from my in-laws (love them!). But we got our beautiful rings (albeit three months late) so it all turned out o.k. in the end.


The gorgeous red dress featured in the top photos is called Nevermore. It is worth noting that this store also stocks books on writing, and fantastic bridal and gothic items.