rikrak

Name: Kristal
Shop Name: rikrak
Shop Link: www.rikrak.etsy.com
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Ships To: everywhere!

What materials do you use for your ECO friendly products? Thanks so much for having me, Hyla! My work is based mainly around repurposing vintage fabrics into modern, new, sustainable accessories, housewares, and more! So I use beautiful old aprons, bedsheets, etc, perhaps worn in an area, but otherwise perfect, and recraft that fabric into something fun,new & functional, for eco-forward folk! I also use vintage notions wherever possible, and eco-friendly / reusable packaging, too!


Why did you decide to make ECO friendly products? An important influence in my artistic life was my Grandma – a master hand-quilter, and repurposer/recycler extraordinaire! – who was an expert in every handicraft she created. The ways she turned scraps of old clothing into new, glorious patchwork quilts was a catalyst for me in terms of wanting to create sustainable art & design (that and the fact that my family loved garage sales: re-using at it’s best!). Perhaps as a result of these early encounters with trashion and sustainable design, I’ve become a great believer in the artistic sensibility behind functional wares, and I continue to be thrilled by the idea of making objects that are both beautiful and practical enough for daily use.

What inspires you? Oh! So much! My family, especially my five-year-old son, kindness, joy, light, pattern, geometric shapes, simple lines, colour-play and blue skies are some of the goodies that inspire me!

How long have you had your shop on Etsy? I opened my etsy shop in April of 2007


Is this a job for you or a hobby? :) Well, my full-time job is mommying! But when my little sweetie is at school or sleeping, it's full-time rikraking for me! I sell to just over 60 stores now around the world, so rikrak has happily become my full time hobbyjob!

How did you get into your craft? I’ve been fortunate enough to have grown up in a wonderfully artistically supportive family. My parents always encouraged creativity, and made space for ideas to blossom and grow, throughout our home. In addition, my grandmother was a guiding source for my education in artistic crafting. One of the best things she taught me was that practical, tangible things deserve an attention to detail that makes them beautiful, and this sense of functional art has been a true inspiration for my designs. My grandmother was a master of many arts: hand-stitched quilts, photographs, wood sculptures, re-upholstered chairs, cane work, crewel work and garment sewing, and a whole world of other things, and her support of do-it-yourself handicrafts, and sustainability, is something that I try to combine with my own interests in contemporary design everyday!



Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy shop owners?
My advice to other fun Etsyans is: I think Etsy is a wonderful community- embrace it! Have fun & make what you love! Be kind to others & yourself. Be a cheerleader for your own art form & others. Take lots of pictures, be friendly, and join Etsy teams to find like minded artists (I’m thrilled to have met fantastic, inspiring Etsyans through the Trans-Canada Etsy Team, team Trashion, Team EcoEtsy & EtsyMoms.)

Anything else you would like to add? I'd just like to thank you so much for having me on your fabuous blog, Hyla! Your focus on eco-living, and your generous invitation & inclusion of eco-artists on your blog is inspiring & commendable! Many thanks! I'm honoured!