May 17th 2006:www.manictrout.com

1 When did you start crafting? I started crafting at a very young age, perhaps right out of the womb. I am from a rather creative family and was encouraged and taught to do everything from quilting and crewelwork to paintings and woodworking by the time I was in nursery school. I turned crafting into a business in January of 2003 with the birth of Manic Trout.

2 Do you design your website? I sure do…I am a one-woman show and I have my BFA in Computer Graphics, so Manic Trout also involves web design and some graphic design as well as Jewelry Design and Paintings. I currently do none of the 2D and 3D work I studied, so I all of my computer creativity goes into web design.

3 Are you on myspace? I am www.myspace.com/manictrout it’s been so fun finding out what so many of my old friends from school are up to. I’ve noticed that the majority of friends my age there are in rather creative fields, so its fun to go see their endeavors.

4 Have you done any craft faires/shows? Yes I have been getting more involved in the show scene. This year I have a show a month booked through the fall. A plein air paint out, two horse events with shopping tents, a local craft fair and a painting exhibition held in the gardens of a local historical mansion. I like to be choosy about the ones I participate in and only do the ones I know that I’ll enjoy being at.

5 what does diy mean to you? Diy to me means gathering ideas from what I see around me to create something while adding my own twist in the interpretation. I do not like to copy designs or ideas, but if I see a look I admire, I figure out how to make it with my own flair. Especially in jewelry, it’s difficult to come up with ideas that have never been done before, but I try to always add a little touch that I’ve never seen used with the other aspects of the design.

You can find manictrout here.manictrout.comItem to check out .Single Drop Earrings in Luna