Crafty blogger Interview: Marjorie of Marmee Craft

It's time again to find out more about a fellow crafty blogger. This month it's the turn of Marjorie of Marmee Craft and My Cozy Little Whimsy Nook.
When & why did you first start writing a blog?
Hmmm. Well, I suppose I started my blog as way to share what I was working on in my little studio and what was new in my shop. (I started My Cozy Little Whimsy Nook in March of this year)! From the beginning I've been doing a weekly featured Etsy Lovelies posting that highlights 3 amazing Etsy shops. I love doing that...there is just some magic 'good vibe' kind of feeling that Etsy gives off that makes you want to give back to other artists...my weekly feature is my small way of doing that! I've also found that keeping a blog really keeps me on a creative track and fires the urge to create more!

What is the first thing you can remember making?
The very first thing? Drawings (and mud pies). Actually, I used to have these little drawing sessions with my Dad....he would draw me, then I would draw him. Later I can remember I had this little notebook filled with drawings that I had made of ice skaters costumes and 18th century side hooped gowns...even at age 6 I was obsessed with costume! I also used to fashion elaborate costumes for my dolls out of tin foil ( perhaps I was channelling James Hampton!?)

What or who is your inspiration when you craft and also when you write?
When I'm creating I get inspired by the little stories that pop into my head (usually involving girls and forest creatures set in rather Victorian surroundings and situations....tea is often a factor)! There is the always-constant 19th century inspiration that drives all of my work (fashion, culture, literature etc.). I'm also heavily in love with folk art portraiture...I think this comes through when I paint. When I write in my blog I like to be whimsical and silly... and I hope to make readers smile and come away with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

What are your favourite materials to use when crafting?
Paint (usually acrylic), Canvas, Ink, Watercolour, Pencils, Old Bits of Ephemera, Wool, Cotton, Calico, Antique Lace, Vintage Trims, Wood. I love painting on wood, Thrifted Frames and Whatnots, Paper, my Wacom pad, Adobe, Ribbons, Polka-Dot Anything, String......the kitchen sink?

What do you listen to when you craft?
Music is and has always been my dearest muse! I think at least 80 percent of my inspiration comes from the pictures that form in my mind from music. I love Vivaldi for working, it really gets you going! I'm a strong advocate of Philip Glass for painting as well as lovely film soundtracks (Birth, Maurice, Howards End among tons of others). A small sampling of what can often be heard echoing from my little studio: A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Beirut, Sunset Rubdown, Haushka, Sati, Dustin O'Halloran, Bjork, Animal Collective, Beethoven, John Field, Roscoe Holcomb, ...and the list goes on....and on.....

What’s the one thing you've made that you're most proud of?
It’s hard to say. I usually fall head-over-heels in love with whatever work I've most recently finished. So right now I’'d say The Green Swell is the apple of my eye.



What other crafty blogs do you read and why should we read them too?
There are so many lovely and magical blogs that I can’t live without!

• A Fanciful Twist
• Art and Ghosts
• A Small Fox in a Big World
• Oh My Cavalier
  

I have a lengthy list of all my favourite blogs on the left hand side of my little whimsy nook. I love them all and you should visit them because they are all so delightful and thoughtful and lovely!!

What crafty plans do you have up your sleeve (if they’'re not top secret)?
I've always got new paintings swirling around in my head. Currently there are more 18th century dressed ladies and cute animal portraits. I've also been toying with the idea of doing some miniature portraits in vintage lockets, and smaller painted dolls.

I hope you all enjoyed the interview, if you'd like to be featured in a future month then leave me a comment :)