Funky Friends Factory: December's EKTT Featured Member

Polar Bear PDF Pattern by Funky Friends Factory

Congratulations Pauline of Funky Friends Factory on Etsy for winning our November Treasury Challenge!  Pauline's treasury challenge submission, "Funky Festive Finds for under $45" received the most votes as the treasury best representing our Black Friday/Cyber Monday challenge theme.  To the victor goes the spoils:  Funky Friends Factory will choose our December Treasury Challenge theme, and Pauline will have an item from her shop featured by each December EKTT curator in one treasury!  That's truly something to celebrate!

Funky Friends Factory on Etsy is filled with simple plush toy patterns for you to spin into your own handmade lovey. Pauline prides herself on her clear and easily executable patterns and instructions that even a beginner can sail through in a day.  Want to upcycle a vintage quilt into an heirloom stuffed animal for your children and grandchildren?  Why not turn a special outfit into an everlasting memory for someone you love?  Funky Friends Factory will point the way for you to combine your own creativity with Pauline's ingenious animal and monster designs!  

Chris Mouse by Funky Friends Factory

Funky Friends Factory began as a desire to create baby-safe bunnies as gifts for friends and has expanded into the online critter factory you see today.  Pauline, the designer and veteran Etsy seller behind Funky Friends Factory was gracious enough to grant us an interview that you are sure to enjoy. 

EKTT: What is your favorite part of the creative process? Least favorite?

Funky Friends Factory:  Favorite part? I love spending hours sitting quietly in my sewing room making my toys.  Any troubles/concerns seem to melt away when I am 'lost' in my little sewing room.  Compared to a day job, working in retail for nearly 20 years, let me just say that dealing with the general public can be 'character building' at times!  : )  Least favourite... hmmmm, tough question!  Waiting for inspiration?  There are some toys I have tried to design and no matter what I do I can't get them to look cute.  I LOVE cats but just can't seem to create a design I am happy with.  I know that suddenly one day, maybe in a few weeks, months or even years time, divine inspiration will strike and I will have a whole litter of kittens! : )

Giraffe by Funky Friends Factory

EKTT:  What was the journey that brought you to opening Funky Friends Factory on Etsy?

Funky Friends Factory:  I have to admit I cannot remember if I found Etsy while surfing the internet myself or if someone told me about it... When I first went online in 2006, I knew nothing about the web and no one else around me did anything online.  I have a policy I refer to as "calling all pockets", which is kind of like when you are really bad at playing snooker/pool and hit the ball very hard so it travels for ages so you are in effect aiming at every hole?  I tried EVERYTHING I could find!  My Etsy shop seems to have been one of the few things (besides my actual funkyfriendsfactory website, of course) that has survived over the years... and I can see myself being on Etsy for many years to come!

Ellie the Elephant by Funky Friends Factory

Monsters by Funky Friends Factory

EKTT:  What is your best advice for seller's of children's items on Etsy?

Funky Friends Factory:  Love what you do! There are so many sellers in this category that it's easy to get lost!  Passion shines through.  You can tell when someone is just trying to make a quick buck, selling things they've whipped together, or if they genuinely love what they do.  Think about who you'd prefer to buy something from yourself? 

EKTT:  Any current favorite curating suggestions to offer EKTT members?

Funky Friends Factory:  I'm so new at this, I hardly feel I can give advice!  I'd just say - have fun and enjoy it, don't do a treasury when you aren't in the mood to create, from experience, it is much harder!

Christmas Reindeer by Funky Friends Factory

EKTT:  Please share one really weird compulsion, habit, or fixation of yours--we know you've got one!

Funky Friends Factory:  I thought that trying to make a living by creating cute fluffy things was a pretty weird fixation!  Besides being a 'chain-coffee-drinker' I honestly can't think of a crazy, compulsive habit, so either I'm pretty normal or have a memory like a sieve - probably the latter? Ha!Ha! 

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Thanks so much for granting us this interview, Pauline!  We think you're awesome even though you refuse to let your freak flag fly on our EtsyKids Treasury Team blog!  

Stalk Pauline of Funky Friends Factory in the fine places on the world wide web listed below.  When she lets her guard down and you have the key to her secret weird compulsion, you're duty bound to drop in and leave us a comment, eh? 

Etsy Shop:  Funky Friends Factory

Facebook:  Funky Friends Factory

Website:  Funky Friends Factory