June 9th 2006:angeatelier

1 My name is ? Natasha Quam, Natasha being of russian origin meaning "birthday", Quam the latin word for "how" or "as much as"... my grandpa just calls me "Nat". Hopefully he's not associating me with the annoying little bug.

2 Do you think you are ever going to have a web site for your indie shops? Yes! I finally purchased my domain name (angeatelier.com) now it's a matter of putting everything up there and working a shopping cart into the system. I love Etsy and am not going to abandon my shops there but I think a happy co-existence between the two is the best situation for everybody. (By everybody I mean myself and the things I make and the wonderful people who are used to finding me at one site or the other.)

3 Have you done any shows? I did some small regional shows when I moved to Iowa last summer. One was at my old high school and that was a kind of creepy experience. Years ago when I graduated I swore I'd never step foot in that building again, and there I was for two days. I haven't decided if I'll do that again this year. I will be at Depart-ment (depart-ment.com) in Chicago this July 29-30, and am waiting to hear if my application has been approved for a number of larger indie craft events such as No Coast in Minneapolis, Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, and Bazarre Bizarre in Los Angeles.

4 What is a customer favorite? People have always liked the button-necklaces I make, they're collars that look a bit like a grown-up candy necklace. The wallets and clutches I craft of vintage aprons have been so consistently well-received they're a sort of trademark and I can't take them out of my product-line.

5 What does diy mean to you? DIY is my way of reacting to and working with this consumerist culture we live in. I believe that people have a right to accrual of goods with a clean social conscience, that is, things no one suffered to produced, production methods that didn't negatively impact the environment, high-quality goods that don't cost three weeks minimum-wage-paychecks, things made with love and care. It would be easier and more cost-effective to sub-contract my work out to be produced in Mexico, or somewhere overseas; easier to work a 9-5 job that I hate to pay my bills; more cost-effective to buy unrecycled materials from corporations to make the goods in the first place and that makes me sick. It shouldn't be easier or cheaper to be bedfellows with corruption. So maybe by spending a little more time and a little more money purchasing supplies from green sources, spending more time making sure my production methods are clean, putting more love into everything I do, maybe someday it won't be cheaper & easier to pollute the earth and take advantage of disenfranchised people here and in other countries.

You can find angeatelier.angeatelierItem to check out .brown floral print clutch