Hall of Fame {Genevieve Gail}

Welcome back y'all! I am so excited to introduce you to this week's featured artist!

Meet Genevieve, the beautiful and creative gal behind Etsy shop Genevieve Gail. Her shop is filled with unique accessories - "a mix between what you would find in your Grandma's jewelry box and a trendy Soho Boutique."

Genevieve is a master of many traits and is quite popular among the handmade community and craft world. Her work has been featured in several publications, including Boho Magazine and Cooking with Paula Deen. She also has designed not one but two beautiful fabric collections for Windham Fabrics - Gypsy Garden and Flower Bucket.

And she doesn't stop there! Genevieve also writes a fabulous blog filled with her own DIY projects. Stop by! You'll be inspired!

Keep reading to learn more about this lovely lady, get a peek at her work, and enter to win one of her little pieces of art!

What inspires you?
Fashion, music, nature, vintage jewelry, old rusty things, boxes of buttons and trims...

Where do you call home? Are you from there originally?
I'm from the Athens, Ga area and have been here pretty much all of my life. I love it here!
Name something unique to where you live.
Athens is a college town (home of UGA) and has an awesome music scene. There are always great shows going on and it's where bands such as R.E.M., The B-52's, and Widespread Panic got their start.

Share an interesting fact about yourself.
I got married in cowboy boots :)

{Genevieve on her wedding day}

If you had to describe yourself in a word, what would that word be?
Creative

What made you decide to open up shop?
I've always loved making stuff and thought Etsy was so unique because it featured Handmade artists. It also seemed like a user-friendly format as far as getting an online shop started.

Name your favorite thing about selling handmade.
I really enjoy the human connection with selling handmade. When someone buys a piece of my jewelry that I have put a lot of time and thought into making, it's a pretty nice feeling when someone appreciates it enough to purchase it!
Do you have a day job or sell on Etsy full-time?
In addition to Etsy I work on other freelance projects such as my fabric collections for Windham Fabrics. I'm trying to get some other things up and running so we shall see what happens...

You are so talented - creating jewelry, crafts, illustrations, and fabrics! Have you had any formal training?
Well thank you, Lory! Yes, I went to UGA and graduated from the Graphic Design program. My focus was in illustration so I took a lot of drawing and painting classes in addition to the computer classes.

Give us a little glimpse into what a typical day in your life looks like.
No day is really quite the same- I like to switch up what I'm working on so I don't get burnt out on one particular project. One day I might work on jewelry, the next day I might be working on a new fabric line, etc. I also like to catch up on blogs and twitter (I'm addicted)!

Share with us a favorite Etsy purchase or shop.
Ooh, that's a tough one, there are so many! One of my favorite spots in my home is what I call my "Etsy Art Wall." I have a small collection of prints grouped together above my desk from irenesuchocki, danitashop, theblackapple, ipullprints, and mcaplan.
List a few of your most favorite pastimes.
Playing with my 3 dogs, road trips, going to concerts, date night with my Hubs at our Local Barnes & Noble (he reads the golf magazines and I read the craft magazines)!

Read any good books lately?
It's been hard to find the time lately since I'm getting ready for some Holiday craft shows, but one of my favorite books of all time is The Secret. I can't lie, I'm also in the middle of the Twilight series ;). Oh, and I have My So-Called Freelance Life and Birthing the Elephant business books that are sitting on my shelf waiting to be read (hopefully soon)...

What is your most prized possession?
My wedding rings are really special to me. My band is from the 1920's and belonged to my great-grandmother, and the engagement ring my husband gave me is a reproduction from that same time period. They make me happy.

{a look at her flower bucket fabric collection}

What are three of your favorite foods?
Anything chocolate, anything Italian, anything Mexican. Sorry, that's pretty vague, but it's true! How about drinks? Starbucks White Mochas, Lavender Mojitos, and frozen Margaritas.

What would you like to learn to do?
I would like to learn more about web design and eventually build my own site. I took a course in college years ago, but web design is one of those things if you don't keep up with it you will forget how to do it. HTML makes my brain hurt...

What are you listening to right now?
I really love Pandora! You type in an artist that you like and they make a "station" for you that plays that artist and ones that they think you will like. It's really cool because I come across new bands all the time that I have never heard of before. I'm constantly on the search for new music...

Name one place you must visit in your lifetime and why.
I was lucky enough to visit a lot of different countries when I used to be an Art Director, but I have not really gotten to explore the U.S. as much as I would like. I really want to take a road trip out West. I will be turning 30 in a few months so I think now would be a good time to do it!
Anything else you'd like to share?
Thanks Lory for asking me to participate in this interview! For all of you out there debating on whether or not to start your own Etsy shop, I encourage you to take the plunge!


Genevieve, thank you so much for stopping by to share with us. It was a pleasure getting to know you better.

To keep up with her and her work, visit her flickr page, follow her blog and twitter, and add her shop to your favorites. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!!

Time for a Giveaway!
Genevieve is so generously awarding the winner with the lovely Bee Charmer necklace pictured over there to the right!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post with whatever you'd like... A favorite piece from her shop? Favorite photo? Something you'd like to see in her shop? Don't forget to include your name and email address or Etsy username!

Good luck!

For extra entries you can:
Tweet this giveaway: 2 additional entries
Follow my blog and/or Genevieve's blog - : 5 additional entries
Blog about this interview/contest: 7 additional entries
Purchase from Genevieve Gail : 10 additional entries

(Please include this info, if applicable, with your comment for additional entries. You do not need to leave separate comments for additional entries. Important: Don't forget to include your name and contact info!)

Contest ends Sunday, December 13th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by traditional drawing and will be announced the following day.