Monday, October 1, 2007

Featured Seller - PUPPETS AND PALS

Coco PupPet

Blue Feathered Glove Puppet

Haupia PupPet

1. Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, and personal stuff).

My name is Nikole Horkin and I am a stay at home mother to one son, Harrison, who just turned two. My full time job is being a mother and my second job is as an artist. I have been studying puppetry for many years and am a member of POA (Puppeteers of America) and UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionette). I am currently studying theater and art at the University of Hawaii. I not only make my own puppets but also perform them as well. I can be seen locally and will be listing a calendar of shows on my website soon.

2. What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?

I still have a picture that I drew when I was five. It was of a mouse holding a piece of cheese and I even signed it! Yeah, I always knew that art was going to be a big part of my life.

3. What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?

Wow....what DOESN'T inspire me? Well my dog was the inspiration for my bigger and hairier puppets and I send out a picture of my dog with the story of how my puppet came to be with each "adoption." I believe that when you put the photo of my dog up next to the puppet, they look quite alike. By the way, I have a Brussles Griffin. He looks a lot like an Ewok from Star Wars.

4. What are your favorite materials?

I have an addiction to fabrics. If only you could see my puppet studio. I can spend hours in a fabric store especially in the remnants sections. That is the good thing about working with puppets...they don't require a lot of yardage.

5. What is your favorite color?

Like the movie.......the color purple.

6. What are your most and least two favorite films?

Do I really have to only pick two? Well, I'll tell you my two favorite puppet movies: Dark Crystal and The Muppet Movie (the song that Kermit sings, "Rainbow Connection," makes me teary eyed every time I hear it).

7. What are you reading right now?

Do craft books count? I always have some sort of craft book on my night stand next to my bed. However, the last real book that I read and enjoyed would be Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter.

8. Any tips on selling handmade stuff?

Yes, be sure to take the best possible pictures. Pictures tell everything and can actually make or break a sale. It is like the old saying of judging a book by its cover. You only get a few moments to make that first impression for a sale.

9. Apart from creating things, what do you do?

It always seems like I am creating something...even in my sleep so that is why I keep a journal next to my bed for those times that I wake up in the middle of the night with one of my crazy ideas. Sometimes they turn out to be great ideas in the morning and other times I think, "What was I dreaming of?!"

10. List your webpages, blogs, other marketing sites here.

I'm still in the process of getting my website designed and it will contain a calendar of the dates and locations where I will be performing my puppet shows at: www.puppetsandpals.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN ADOPT ONE OF THESE LOVEABLE PALS GO ONLINE TO www.puppetsandpals.etsy.com

2 comments:

Kathi said...

hooray, puppets and pals! i love the muppets and jim henson!

Etsy Hawaii Street Team said...

Dark Crystal is one of my most favorite movies, right along with Labyrinth, Legends and Mirror Mask!