Friday Features: Milusha Design

Children's Animal Nursery Art by MilushaDesign

Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Features, where today we meet wonderful artist Milusha, of Milusha Design on Etsy. Read on to discover more of this wonderful artists works and a great discount coupon code that you can use in her shop!

My name is Milusha and my shops name is MilushaDesign.  www.milushadesign.etsy.com  I am a graphic designer and illustrator and a mother of a wonderful 2.5 year old. I realized that I had a new desire to illustrate fun, bright and colourful art prints for children's nurseries using my obsession of patterns, specifically wallpaper patterns. Also, I illustrate and design unique prints for adults and their homes which are available in my shop. There are a million other creative ideas I have brewing…

Being brought up in a very artistic family, it seemed only natural that I'd fall into that profession/career. Both my maternal grandparents were "commercial artists" (designers) and my grandfather had a very successful design agency. I drew from the time I was 2 and it was more than just doing arts and crafts with my mother. It was something I truly enjoyed doing and my parents and teachers realized that it was a natural talent and encouraged me along the way. I went to school to be a designer and have been creating for 10 years now! It's great to finally be a part of the Etsy family. 

My sister is a pretty awesome crocheter and knitter and has taught me a bit. I do occasionally sit down and knit or crochet, albeit not very well. I greatly admire all those who can; but I am a very energetic "I want it done now" person and cannot seem to sit still to complete a knitting/crocheting project! I do draw (on paper) a lot. 

Giclee Blue Mountain Print by MilushaDesign

Since I have a very unique name, I decided to brand my shop after me. I realized that people would recognize it and most likely remember the name if they saw it again. It works very well.

My bestselling item is in the "Ode to India" series and is the Ganesh Limited Edition art print. I started out as selling children's art with a few adult pieces and they seem to be doing really well. I will continue exploring this.

I sell my work locally at a Children's Boutique in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as well as on Etsy.

Owl ABC Children's Wall Print by MilushaDesign

I don't necessarily blog, however, I do a few posts weekly on my tumblr account. For those interested: www.milushadesign.tumblr.com  Here's my facebook fan page www.facebook.com/MilushaDesign If you really dig my work and would like to support me…  

My work is my passion. I take great love, care and thought into each piece that I create from scratch. I do it because I love it and I hope that people can see that. My pieces are uniquely me and I'd love to see more and more people support me and my work. My goal is to leave a mark and become a successful designer and entrepreneur. I'd also like to say thank you to all those wonderful people that do and will support me! There is nothing like encouragement! 

Also I'd like to offer the readers 15% off ALL ITEMS in  http://www.etsy.com/shop/milushadesign . Use the coupon code COMPLIMENTS15 at checkout.  This coupon code is valid from May 25- June 8th 2012

What a great story, and fabulous art! Be sure to visit Milusha's shop on Etsy to see more delightful and affordable art for every room in your home, and make sure to use that great coupon as well:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/milushadesign 

Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment below with a way to contact you and I'll send you the details!

See you soon!

Friday Feature: Butternut Baby™

Sleep 'n Cuddle Wrap in a Carseat by Butternut Baby

Hello and thank you for joining us in the latest Friday Feature, where a new artist is showcased each week. Today is mommy-duo extraordinaire of Butternut Baby™. Read on for more adorable photos of their beautiful item!

We are Genevieve and Mireille and we are the owners and designers behind Butternut Baby™. We are both moms of baby boys and actually met in prenatal class. We never imagined we’d be crafting and selling baby items together! Our shop can be found at www.butternutbaby.com

We created the Sleep ‘n Cuddle Wrap, a unique and versatile baby blanket that will keep your little ones cozy and warm during the day, at night and on the go! 

The Sleep ‘n Cuddle Wrap’s revolutionary design replaces both a sleep sack that can be confining for older, active babies and blankets that seem to constantly come off in the middle of the night leaving our little ones chilly. The wrap is great for keeping your baby warm during the day while playing or relaxing because it is designed to allow babies to crawl, walk, or stand. Also, it fits perfectly in car seats, strollers and shopping carts to keep your little ones warm while on the go.

We make the Sleep ‘n Cuddle Wrap in a variety of colours to reflect the diverse and fun personalities of babies. They are intended for babies 12+ months.

It is the classic story of a mom (or, in our case, two moms!) that could not find what she was looking for on the market. We brainstormed ideas together and eventually developed the pattern for the Sleep ‘n Cuddle Wrap by cutting and folding the Thursday morning flyers into various shapes. Genevieve still has the cutouts! 

Sleep 'n Cuddle Wrap in a Stroller by Butternut Baby

Our focus right now is on our Sleep ‘n Cuddle Wrap but we have plenty of other ideas we’d like to explore in the future. Stay tuned!

Finding a unique and meaningful name for our shop must have been one of the most difficult decisions we had to make in the very beginning. So many great ones were already taken! The name Butternut Baby™ was inspired by Genevieve's childhood country home, which boasts a squash patch in the front yard. After spending days going through hundreds of names, Genevieve glanced over to one of the recently picked butternut squashes and the name came to her. She often thought that the butternut squashes lying in the patch looked like swaddled babies cozy amongst the leaves. The fresh and fun name had both of us excited and so Butternut Baby™ was born.

Sleep 'n Cuddle Wrap on Babies by Butternut Baby

We currently sell our work through our website (www.butternutbaby.com), our Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/butternutbabydesigns), Baby Bean (www.babybean.ca/sleepytime/sleep-sacks/butternut-baby.htm) and the Valley Plaza Pharmasave in Greater Sudbury. We are also planning on attending Ottawa valley events, such as the Spring 2012 Handmade Harvest Craft Show (www.handmadeharvest.com).  

You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We will keep you posted on what is new, contests & giveaways and any other information you might find interesting. http://www.facebook.com/butternutbaby@ButternutBabyCo 

What a fantastic invention! Please visit their shops for more colors and cuteness! www.butternutbaby.com

Sick Day...

Hey everyone, I'm sorry I missed last week's Wednesday and Thursday posts. I've caught a nasty cold (thank you hubby!) and I'm having to spend some time without technology as I get better. Please forgive me if I miss a couple of posts this week... When I'm feeling better I'm going to have to spend a day just answering emails!
Thanks for your patience, at the very least, please check out this Friday's Featured artist - you won't be disappointed!
See you soon (I hope!), Cold, cold, go away!