8.9.10

Essbesee


I love creative people. I love creative mom’s, especially mom’s who don’t lose themselves in mommy-hood and who teach by example. Sherri is a music loving, creative and fun loving woman with a great sense of humor- who also happens to have two totally adorable monkeys with super cool names (if you follow along on her blog The Claw she may slip up and reveal those cool names). She is married to a rock star who by day is a doctor- (I’m married to a doctor who wishes he was a rock star).
In a previous life Sherri worked as a digital artist and has a new website called Headers for Hire

(she did mine which you can read more about here).

She also makes Stuffed Guys and Gals (as well as bags and banners) for her Etsy shop Essbesee and writes about them on her Essbesee blog.
These are her initials SBC! So clever.

Sherri agreed to answer a few questions for me so that we could learn about how this lady ticks:

What was your favorite toy as a child?
I had so many favorites. One was a stuffed animal elephant in blue jean overalls, who I named Elephanti. I loved stuffed animals and said goodnight to every one individually before I went to sleep. I also loved playing with Barbie dolls and designing new clothes for them fashioned out of my old socks. And then I'd promptly cut off all their hair.

Where do you find inspiration for your creations?
Fabric and color inspire me a great deal. I love bright colors and vintage patterns or fabrics (particularly, the sixties and seventies era). Also, my children inspire me daily. They love creating art and crafting, and watching their excitement making things keeps my creative juices flowing.

Do you visualize your final outcome or is you process more intuitive?
In general, I like to sew stream-of-consciousness without much idea of the outcome. I love sitting down to make something with no clear cut idea in mind of what I will end up with. I've always worked this way, when I used to paint, which I don't do much any more, that is the way I'd start out a painting. I'd paint something abstract and see what I "saw" in the painting and let that inform me what to do next. With my stuffed guys, that is pretty much the way I work as well. I cut out the shape of my stuffed guy or gal freehand, (I never draw it out first onto the fabric or do a sketch), thus the asymmetrical, imperfect quality they have in the end, which I like. After cutting out the back and front of the body, I work on the face, my favorite part. That is how the personality of each piece is cemented. Once I get the face done, it sort of tells me what else I need to do - whether or not the creation needs clothes or not, what kind of further embellishments make sense.













You often have detailed descriptions of your monsters and their characteristics- do you find that you become attached as each stuffed guy takes on a personality?
Definitely. The face lets me know the personality of the stuffie. I generally come up with their name after the face is completed. And I enjoy making up the back story for fun and hopefully, the buyer will appreciate my sense of humor when they read the description.

What are your favorite stores/websites to purchase your fabric from?
Especially the fabric for your bags-
I usually shop at our local JoAnn fabrics store, I find a lot of great fabric there, vintage and newer stuff that is pretty inexpensive. I love buying scraps that are marked down, you can find a lot of great stuff that way, if you don't mind wading through a lot of less appealing fabric.

You have described your creative space as your 'apartment'- what aspects of this space do you feel represent you the most?
It is a bit disorganized and a tad messy (sadly, this is very me) and it is a hodgepodge of a lot of different things from past and present.


Thanks Sherri!

To check out one of my favorite daily reads see Sherri's blog:
(She is hosting a Fall Swap- the Spring Swap was loads of fun and I'm IN)

Blog: Essbesee
Shop: Essbesee

19 comments:

tulpen said...

Sherri is one of my favorite bloggy peeps and one of the very few I'd actually like to meet in person.

She made me a blog header once and I'm thinking I'm due for a new one again soon.

I happen do know her boys names and they do in fact kick ass.

Jude said...

What a lovely interview! I admire anyone who can create...such a great peek into a creative life. (Also love your opening on moms who don't let mommyhood take over - hurrah!)

Pearl said...

Very interesting!

Pearl

Stacey said...

I enjoyed reading this interview. I also love that she's drawn to/get inspired by colour; i can so relate to that. Maintaining your individuality is so important when you're a mom too. It definitely helps to keep me sane:-) xx

k said...

This is such a great interview! She seems like a wonderfully creative person :)

Rita said...

I love those monsters! this is the kind of toys I would like to present to every child I know:)
hugs!
J.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

I hadn't heard of her or her blog or shop. Am glad to be introduced and going over to check it all out. I am always envious of people who can sew, I've tried, just can't quite get the knack of it.

Lulu said...

I am SOOO curious about her boys names now, what are they???

She makes really cute stuff, I am always inspired by crafty people!

essbesee said...

what sweet and cool comments! thanks, again, Ren for featuring my little shop - you, lady, are the best!

Lila said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

nice to meet you too. :)

jacqueline said...

Ren,this is such an awesome interview and i too heart creative people! This interview is really inspiring and sherri's creations are gorgeous! Have alovely merry happpy day and love to you!

Unknown said...

What I love about Sherri is her sense of humor, she is so hilarious! Thanks for posting about her! Header looks great! XX!

heather said...

Yay! I love the way you introduce Sherri. I am off to take a look at her blog now too!

Also, cool! You lived in Finland :) I have never been to a sunlight land that extreme... someday, I'd also love to see aurora borealis! We're not austral enough to see the australis! So close... yet so far! (Though thank goodness, I think that kinda cold would cripple me!)

Sarah said...

Oh, I love her little stuffed guys! And her blog! I stumbled on your blog through her blog. What a happy accident!

Great interview and pics!

Sarah

Anonymous said...

I love creative people ... and she seems to be one of them. Great interview!

Signe said...

Sounds like a talented lady and she sure did a great job with your header :)
Will head over to check out her blog!

Mary Bergfeld said...

How very nice to get to know Sherri better. I love the headers she has done and will be contacting her. I hope you are having a great day and that your monkeys have settled back into school. Blessings...Mary

mermaid gallery said...

Looks like a lovely, peaceful place to create. Her stuffies make me want to make one! Going to the Claw now......

and flowers pick themselves said...

awesome piece, my dear! i really enjoyed reading it.

xo Alison

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