Featured Artist + Shop | Lo of Printed Peaks

Do you remember this blog post where I wore that awesome statement necklace? Well, I haven't stopped wearing it since. Actually, I think it would be considered my most worn necklace since my tree/sapphire combo back in high school. Here's a little reminder if you've forgotten/were too lazy to click the old blog post link.

the necklace

Well, I have greatest honor of welcoming Lo, the artist behind Printed Peaks, where I got this amazing necklace from! I'm thrilled to have her on this little blog of mine. Okay, enough with my chitter chatter. Get to know Lo, she's a lot cooler :)

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1. Tell us a little bit about the artist behind Printed Peaks!
I'm Lo and I blog over at Little Somethings by Little Lo Hood. I absolutely love crafting and being outdoors. I also love libraries and soaking up as much knowledge about anything I can.

2. What's your inspiration for your shop?
I had always wanted a shop and still want a physical shop but I thought Etsy was a perfect place to start. I just had really no idea what I wanted to sell. I finally decided that I should make something that represented my home state of Vermont, which I had just moved away from and missed dearly. I decided to collaborate with my father and use wooden pieces cut in ways to abstractly represent Vermont mountains. Many of my original necklaces are named after mountains in Vermont.

3. What's your favorite part about owning your own business?
I love that I can take my time in handcrafting something that I know I can be proud of. It gives you the freedom to create items that you really want to create. You can experiment and see what works and what doesn't.

4. Any other passions and hobbies you have?
I love sewing, crocheting, soccer, biking, hiking, and just enjoying the outdoors.

5. What's up and coming for Printed Peaks?
Printed Peaks has moved more towards leather handcrafted items and I may start making little wallets and such for the shop. The wooden handcrafted pieces will certainly still be there and I think I will be experimenting with some different colors and stains.

6. What advice would you give for someone thinking about opening up their own handmade shop?
I would say that you should keep a notebook with you always. It is so important to brand your store appropriately right down to the packaging. It is also important to sell something that is unique and that you won't grow tired of making or working on. Don't be discouraged if you don't sell out in a day either, there are a lot of sellers on Etsy and out in the world, just keep at it!

I feel like Lo and I would be great friends, in real life. I mean, she makes jewelry inspired by mountains and I love my mountains. Be sure to check out her shop! I've got my eyes on this baby and oooh this one! I'm excited for those leather made goods! Thank you Lo for droppin' by!

EDIT + GOOD NEWS! -- March 20, 2012

Because it's Lo's birthday today, she is offering everyone 44% OFF any item in her shop! Here's the info straight from her blog!

"For the rest of this month I will be offering 44% off in my store, Printed Peaks. I added the date and my years of age if you were wondering about the funny number. Enter "SPRINGBIRTHDAY44" during check out and one of my pretties will be on its way to your front door. The first 3 purchases will get an extra gift as well."