Get to Know + Giveaway: LeiLiLaLoo

From the sounds of it, Dana over at LeiLiLaLoo is a very busy lady, but manages to spin out such beautiful designs. I've been an admirer of her Etsy shop for quite a long time, so it was so nice to get to know a little about this artist and her crafty life. Pour a cup of tea and have a read, and at the end, don't miss details to add some of Dana's crafty work to your supply stash! 

Where are you from, in which city do you currently live? 

I am from the Netherlands and I live in Amsterdam for over 10 years now. 

How did you become interested in your craft? 

When it happened I don’t know there were always Picasso and Chagall books lying around at home, so I got interested in arts & crafting when I was very young. I must have been 5 or 6 years old when I painted my first oil painting on canvas. It was a still life with a nude , which was inspired by Picasso. So there is no exact how or when…it was always there. 

Where did your shop name come from?

My son came up with that when he was 1,5 years old. He could not pronounce his own name for a long time, so he said his name like ‘Leililaloo’. I chose it as my brand name because I very much like the sound of it & the fact my son came up with it. 

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job? 

I am sad that I don’t sell at Etsy full time YET, although it does fill up my time full time when I am at home. I still have to work part-time (as a nurse), I do that 20 hours per week, the other 60 I work on Etsy :) 

Where do you get your inspiration? 

Besides my greatest source of inspiration, my two children, the internet is a great place to be when you need a fill of inspiration. On the net I feel I can find incredible amounts of inspiration from fellow crafters and artists.  

Where do you do your crafty work? 

I work from our living room. It’s looks more like a studio then a living room. But we have no other space where I can do my thing. We are a family of 4 and live in a one bedroom apartment on the 6th floor. Although we would love to move to a bigger place I found out one can get used to situations that are not perfect. The children are used to my materials being around everywhere, and I am used to having to clean up my workstation all the time from leftover crackers and puzzle pieces. On top of that my husband also has an Etsy shop, so he uses the whole living space we have as his wood workshop as well. And he works with piles of wood and two big sawing machines, so just imagine the way our apartment looks most of the time! 

I just love her story of how her shop came to be named, super cute! Dana has very generously offered 3 meters of her beautiful hand printed ribbon to one lucky winner! So, have a look at her very lovely shop here, and come back and let us know your favorite piece, or what you would use her ribbons for? A winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, Sept 10. Extra entries will be given for blogger followers and tweeters!  

**This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Nancy McKay, and thanks to all who participated!