What inspired you to go into the craft business? There are so many companies out there that are focusing more on trends rather than good design that I wanted to start an apparel company where I could wear the designs that I could never find. Designs that are printed on quality and comfortable shirts.
What are your creative influences? I love Charles & Ray Eames for general design, Mies Van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright for architecture, Peter Saville of Factory Records for print, and all of the great artists that I’ve had the fortune to work with at Red Choo Choo – Brendan Monroe, Darren Kani, Greg Galinsky, and more.
I have created greeting cards, a calendar, and illustrations of San Francisco where I live. There are many tourists from all over the world who come to San Francisco. My designs of San Francisco have gained a positive reputation among the tourists who want to have sweet memories of their visit.
design by myself. I thought it was OK as I could always contact people v! ia email if I wanted. I was still happy since I liked what I was doing. But since my art show’s reception, I’ve had a chance to meet and talk to new people in person. I realized that meeting with people, face to face, had a much different impact on me. I was very happy to hear from people about my design’s good reputation in person. It gave me lots of energy and inspiration for new designs.
Anything else you would like to tell us about your business? I was a sports teacher for children and seniors, as well as a lifeguard in Tokyo. After a few years as a sports teacher I realized that my real interest was in graphic design. It may seem like a big leap to change my career direction but it was actually very simple as I was following my true dream. It was not easy to come to the point where I am as a designer. When I came to the US 3 years ago to study design, I could not speak English at all. I had no idea what teachers said in their lectures. Beside, I could not make any friends. It was very difficult and I felt lonely and homesick. But I never gave up because I had my strong passion to be a designer who is active worldwide. I did not want to go back to where I was not happy in a job with no passion. So, after much deep thought about it, I started my business in March, 2009. I would like to tell everyone, if you have a dream, please don’t give up on it. If you continue showing what you are doing in public, asking questions of people who already have become successes in their field, speaking about your passion, and having appreciation for other people’s help, your dream will come true. People say my life looks very happy from my illustrations. Yes, now I am very happy.
What inspired you to go into the craft business? I have always been drawn to design as a kid I made paper in the basement. I studied environmental science in college and ended up with a degree in technical theater. All these influences formed into my ascetic of repurposing materials. From there it just happened organically.
Do you still have a day job? I do still have a day job. I design and produce special events conferences and conventions. As a freelancer I have the ability to set my own schedule and this has been quite beneficial in making time for festivals such as San Francisco Bazaar.
Some retailers can’t work with this and I have lost accounts due to this.
Bunny Butt was originally my personal pet project and, as such, really has nothing to do with my “real life” which consists mostly of working towards a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and teaching yoga. I first conceived of Bunny Butt Apothecary as a line of bath and body products with a principal focus on natural ingredients (not a bad bandwagon to be jumping on, in my opinion), but the twist that soon emerged was a judicious selection of certain synthetics, which allowed me to expand my creative palette without sacrificing quality and integrity. My fiance, Scott, has been becoming increasingly involved over the past year as my workload has increased and his need to escape from the mind-numbing effects of teaching high-school physics made soapmaking seem like a downright spiffy past time. Above all, Bunny Butt celebrates the ability not to take anything (including yourself!) too seriously.
What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? People are always surprised to hear that I started my business as a direct result working on my undergraduate honors thesis. There’s only so much time a human being can spend reading literary criticism on Victorian literature, it’s as simple as that. Since then, working with my hands has kept me sane through many a research paper. Not only is crafting super rewarding in and of itself, but it comes with the added bonus of a community full of awesome people! So, yes, both my fiance and I still have “day jobs” in so much as what we do really constitutes a day job (I’m talking mostly about myself here, since I basically read ancient Sanskrit texts and instruct people to flail their limbs for a living), but the wonderful thing about owning your own little company is that it can take up exactly as much time as you need it to.
Anything else you would like to tell us about your business? Hmmm…well, neat fact: We recently teamed up with the House Rabbit Society to market a “Bunny Club” soap, the proceeds from which go to benefit the HRS in their efforts to educate rabbit owners about proper care and give homes and medical care to bunnies in need. Wash a limb, save a bunny ;)
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. I independently construct blank books from recycled materials and sell them to stores, at street markets, online, and at craft and gift shows. I also offer custom binding work. It is a full time gig. 
s a young teenager a family friend encouraged me to place my work in local gift shops. When my pieces began to sell I was inspired to keep crafting as a business. I was accepted into my first craft show, San Francisco Bazaar LA, in 2006. The show was so successful for me that I had the confidence to quit my then day job working at an art gallery.
What are your creative influences? Creative influence is everywhere and in every form. I sometimes never know until I experience it. The creative energy and spirit exuded by other crafters probably inspires me the most. Craft shows are so enjoyable for that reason. It is a great feeling to be surrounded by such a vibrant and supportive community.
My name is Eva Jorgensen, and I run a little letterpress paper goods business called Sycamore Street Press with my husband, Kirk. I studied printmaking in school, and fell in love with the art of letterpress and the collaborative aspect of printmaking. My friends Stephanie Ford, Kristin Mills, and Amy Shaffer and I come up with the designs, and then Kirk and I print them all by hand on our vintage press. We also invite a different artist each month to create the artwork for a limited edition print that becomes a part of the Sycamore Club (our letterpress print of the month club). We use eco-friendly materials wherever possible.
When I finished up school, I planned on becoming an art professor, but there just weren’t any positions available. However, I’d had the idea of running my own letterpress studio for a while, and with the encouragement of family, I decided to go for it. My dad has always owned his own business, and he instilled his entrepreneurial spirit in me. I did work part time at a stationery shop at first, but now Sycamore Street Press is a full time job for Kirk and me.
The best: being able to do something creative every day, the people we meet, being my own boss. The worst: bookkeeping, taxes, the lack of a steady paycheck.
holiday stockings, greeting cards and more, all with a retro-modern feel. I have a passion for creating all things bold, vibrant, cute, swanky, funky and fun! When I’m not designing, I love cooking gourmet, hiking, traveling to far away places, going on photography excursions and playing my nylon string guitar.
I wanted without the limitations that came with my graphic design job, so I created a line of greeting cards, and started selling my collection to various San Francisco and Los Angeles boutiques. After much encouragement from clients, family and friends, I expanded into the world of textile design, and in 2005 I started Swizzlestix. These products have been sold at various design shows, boutiques, art galleries, and online. I still work as a graphic designer part-time.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. When our kids came along and put us out of work, we had to take matters into our own hands. Now we can feed our creativity and our growing children.
What do you like best, coming up with ideas or executing them? We’re a very right-brain/left-brain team, so one is perfectly happy to let the other do the designing. And we wouldn’t be crafting if we didn’t love making the things we’ve designed, right?
It’s funny, I realized the other day that the Zine Fest started well after what’s considered the height of the zine trend of the nineties, and yet we still grow every year! So I definitely think that any rumors of self-publishing’s demise are greatly exaggerated. I find that in the Bay Area there is a robust artistic community at large, and there will always be new folks making little publications to express themselves. If you just walk into a zine-oriented shop like 
