The Dynamic Duo Behind Squshies! Danielle & Jason
Danielle's Bio:
Squshies are made by me and my husband. We are a team of artistic weirdos who love animation and character design. We started making things for sale due to the difficulty of finding "real" work, and are finding it quite addictive. We've combined our love for cartoons and animals to create the Squshies, felt animal characters who each come with their own crazy background stories. Our goal is to keep expanding our menagerie of felt critters and finding new and fun ways for them to be enjoyed.
Squshies are made by me and my husband. We are a team of artistic weirdos who love animation and character design. We started making things for sale due to the difficulty of finding "real" work, and are finding it quite addictive. We've combined our love for cartoons and animals to create the Squshies, felt animal characters who each come with their own crazy background stories. Our goal is to keep expanding our menagerie of felt critters and finding new and fun ways for them to be enjoyed.
1. How long have you been sewing & making Squshies?
I've been making Squshies for about a year and a half now.
2. What inspires you the most?
Animals, colors, cartoons and stories.
3. What are your favorite materials?
I love felt! It comes it so many fun bright colors and it is easy to work with. I also love to get new yarn and fabric with fun prints for myself.
4. Do you have a favorite tool?
Definitely! My spring action micro tip scissors are a life saver. I can cut small and intricate shapes with them and they are easy on my hands. Cutting Squshie pieces got so much more enjoyable and easier when I upgraded to fancy scissors.
5. What is your work space like?
We've got a room that is a bit crowded with supplies and the computers. When inside I do most of my work on a small portable folding table. When the weather is nice I love to work outside so we recently set up a nice patio set.
6. When do you find the most time to work?
Squshies is my full time job currently so I have lots of time to work. I do most of my work in the afternoon. I also do a lot of work in the evenings with Jason after he gets home from work. We spend a lot of nights working on Squshies together while listening to audio books.
7. How does your work fit into the rest of your life?
It kind of fills in all the time not taken up by anything else. We're constantly thinking about new projects, new critters, new ways to do things.
8. How often a week do you get to work?
I have a tendency to be a workaholic so usually every day. I'm trying to be better about taking days off because I work more effectively when I have a day off now and again.
9. Do you sell your work? Directly? Indirectly?
We sell our work online but we're looking in do doing our first show this year.
10. Do you have a business (on or offline)? Consign?
We have 2 online shops currently. One on Etsy and one on Storenvy.
11. Do you have a website? Blog? Facebook profile or fan page? Myspace? Twitter? Pinterest?
Yup! Pretty much everything but Myspace.
12. Where do you feel your work fits in your market?
We design our critters to be reproducible so we can make multiples, but we don't shy away from time consuming complicated designs. As everything is made carefully by hand we have pretty low volume and probably tend toward the more expensive.
13. What is your favorite part?
I don't think I have a favorite. I love meeting new critters when they come to life. I love hearing people's excitement when they meet a new Squshie or get their own. I love making custom Squshies. It would be easier to pick a least favorite part. That would be tedious computer tasks like updating listings, editing photos, tasks that take time away from making.
14. How did you get into designing?
I wanted to be an animator since I was 10 so I've always been interested in art and drawing. I got into sewing felt animals as something fun to do to in between job searching. It quickly replaced job searching.
15. Favorite deceased artist? Why?
Disney's 9 Old Men. The thing that has inspired me the most over the years is animation. Their technical ability to draw something from so many different view and angles was impressive on its own but their ability to bring such life and emotion into drawings it was really blows my mind. I'd love to be able to draw even a fraction as well as they could!
16. Favorite live artist? Why?
Glen Keane for the same reasons as Disney's 9 Old Men. His work is amazing.
I've been making Squshies for about a year and a half now.
2. What inspires you the most?
Animals, colors, cartoons and stories.
3. What are your favorite materials?
I love felt! It comes it so many fun bright colors and it is easy to work with. I also love to get new yarn and fabric with fun prints for myself.
4. Do you have a favorite tool?
Definitely! My spring action micro tip scissors are a life saver. I can cut small and intricate shapes with them and they are easy on my hands. Cutting Squshie pieces got so much more enjoyable and easier when I upgraded to fancy scissors.
5. What is your work space like?
We've got a room that is a bit crowded with supplies and the computers. When inside I do most of my work on a small portable folding table. When the weather is nice I love to work outside so we recently set up a nice patio set.
6. When do you find the most time to work?
Squshies is my full time job currently so I have lots of time to work. I do most of my work in the afternoon. I also do a lot of work in the evenings with Jason after he gets home from work. We spend a lot of nights working on Squshies together while listening to audio books.
7. How does your work fit into the rest of your life?
It kind of fills in all the time not taken up by anything else. We're constantly thinking about new projects, new critters, new ways to do things.
8. How often a week do you get to work?
I have a tendency to be a workaholic so usually every day. I'm trying to be better about taking days off because I work more effectively when I have a day off now and again.
9. Do you sell your work? Directly? Indirectly?
We sell our work online but we're looking in do doing our first show this year.
10. Do you have a business (on or offline)? Consign?
We have 2 online shops currently. One on Etsy and one on Storenvy.
11. Do you have a website? Blog? Facebook profile or fan page? Myspace? Twitter? Pinterest?
Yup! Pretty much everything but Myspace.
12. Where do you feel your work fits in your market?
We design our critters to be reproducible so we can make multiples, but we don't shy away from time consuming complicated designs. As everything is made carefully by hand we have pretty low volume and probably tend toward the more expensive.
13. What is your favorite part?
I don't think I have a favorite. I love meeting new critters when they come to life. I love hearing people's excitement when they meet a new Squshie or get their own. I love making custom Squshies. It would be easier to pick a least favorite part. That would be tedious computer tasks like updating listings, editing photos, tasks that take time away from making.
14. How did you get into designing?
I wanted to be an animator since I was 10 so I've always been interested in art and drawing. I got into sewing felt animals as something fun to do to in between job searching. It quickly replaced job searching.
15. Favorite deceased artist? Why?
Disney's 9 Old Men. The thing that has inspired me the most over the years is animation. Their technical ability to draw something from so many different view and angles was impressive on its own but their ability to bring such life and emotion into drawings it was really blows my mind. I'd love to be able to draw even a fraction as well as they could!
16. Favorite live artist? Why?
Glen Keane for the same reasons as Disney's 9 Old Men. His work is amazing.
Squshies Official Website
Shop with Squshies on Etsy
Shop with Squshies on Storenvy
Follow Squshies on Tumblr
Follow Squshies on Twitter
Like Squshies on Facebook
Add Squshies to your Circles on Google+
Follow Squshies on Pinterest
Check out Squshies on Deviantart
Follow Squshies on Instragram
Shop with Squshies on Etsy
Shop with Squshies on Storenvy
Follow Squshies on Tumblr
Follow Squshies on Twitter
Like Squshies on Facebook
Add Squshies to your Circles on Google+
Follow Squshies on Pinterest
Check out Squshies on Deviantart
Follow Squshies on Instragram
Thanks for tuning in for my Featured Artist/Crafter of the Month! I 'll see you back in May with my next feature!
In the comments below tell me if you've ordered from Squshies before and how your experience was! What's your favorite product? And do you plan on ordering in the future?
Also if you're interested in being featured or know someone who would be drop me a line about it via email! And don't forget to drop by my social media profiles and sign up for my newsletter for more updates on posts like this & more!
In the comments below tell me if you've ordered from Squshies before and how your experience was! What's your favorite product? And do you plan on ordering in the future?
Also if you're interested in being featured or know someone who would be drop me a line about it via email! And don't forget to drop by my social media profiles and sign up for my newsletter for more updates on posts like this & more!
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