Friday Spotlight: Gala's Gourmet

Welcome to our next Friday Spotlight! Every other week, we feature a new interview from one of our TeamBPAL members.

This week, we interviewed Jessica of Gala's Gourmet. Let's go!



Tell us a little about the items in your shop. What do you make?
I make jams, jellies, butters, pickles, and hopefully in the near future some baked goods also.


What is your creative process?
Reading food blogs, and cookbooks. Looking at what's in season. Taking my favorite things and adding them to the local selection of fruits.


Which Etsy Teams do you belong to?
Just TeamBPAL!



Double-Spiced Apple Butter

When you are not creating things, what do you do?
Chase my little girl around, do some catering on the side, and work in the family business (light manufacturing of therapeutic magnetic products).

Tell us two random, interesting things about you.
I double majored in History and Psychology in college.
I love playing old school games (ie board, card, physical type – not really video or rpg kinds)

What has been your proudest moment since opening your Etsy shop?
Being sneakily promoted by my friend and author Cherie Priest on her blog.



Pear and Vanilla Butter

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Take good pictures! I have a hard time with this myself though. Jars of jam just tend to look visually boring to me no matter what I do to make the picture look better. But, when I'm shopping etsy, if you don't have adequate pictures of the product, I'm on to look for something else.


What handmade possession do you cherish?
I have quite a few actually, a quilt from my grandma, blankets from friends for my daughter, a purple hat from a friend, an art quilt from a family member, photography from other friends, a handmade board game based on the tv show Firefly, hand carved goddess statue and pottery from Nicaragua. All of them have very special meaning to me.


If you could have any item on Etsy regardless of price, what would it be?
Right now it's not something terribly expensive, but it's something I would like to have to complete my steampunk costume for a con next spring: Green Velvet Steampunk Button Tab Corset.

What other skill or talent do you wish you could possess, if you had not taken this creative path?
I have a fist full of hobbies, I could happily spend my time doing any of them. Plus, I want to learn to play mandolin.




Where else can we find you on the web?
Gala's Gourmet on Facebook
twitter.com/galasgourmet
Galatea's Glamouries blog

That's all for this time! Have a wonderful autumn weekend and we will return in two weeks!

Friday Spotlight: Ocean Street Spa

Welcome to our next Friday Spotlight! Every other week, we feature a new interview from one of our TeamBPAL members. Alicia's gone this week, so I'm posting this in her place. I hope I get it right!

This week, we're chatting with Amy of Ocean Street Spa. Let's go!




Tell us a little about the items in your shop. What do you make?
I make hot process soap in small batches. I love the flexibility of
it. I am impatient, and having to wait six weeks to use my soap would
drive me crazy! I also have room sprays. I love to create a
different ambiance to my living space depending on my mood. With two
inquisitive (read: nosy and pushy) cats, candles aren't a good match
for my lifestyle. I also will be offering more glossing oils. When
one of my favorite soap companies closed, my favorite product was no
longer available. I had the list of ingredients, so I tinkered with
recipes until I came up with a close match.
I'm also in the process of creating a new line for Ocean Street Spa.
The new line will feature the scents of my favorite microbrews. It
will be a departure from my normal line, as this will be glycerine
soap, but I'm very excited about it.


What is your creative process?
My creative process really varies. I can be inspired by a word, a
fragrance or a place and time. My Carver Pond products are based on
my college years and the parties I'd go to in the woods. (Typical New
England college party!) The scent of autumn leaves, bonfire smoke and
the touch of spilled beer bring me right back to when I was 19.


Which Etsy Teams do you belong to?
TeamBPAL




Loup Garou Soap


When you are not creating things, what do you do?
When I'm not creating soap, I'm usually doing something else creative.
I love to cook and make great jelly. Last weekend I made grape
jelly, bread and butter pickles, pumpkin butter and chardonnay jelly.
To unwind, I love to relax by reading.


Tell us two random, interesting things about you.
1. I grew up doing ballet and Scottish Highland Dancing. My sisters and
I were very focused and for many years we danced with two different
ballet companies. I still love the smell of rosin and being
backstage. We also competed in Scottish Dancing all over the world.
When I was 17, I was ranked 3rd in my age group and competed in the US
National Championships for Scottish Dancing in Seattle. 3 dancers
from each region of the US got to go the the US Championships.

2. I work full-time as a Town Clerk and am a Notary Public, Justice of
the Peace, and a Passport Acceptance Agent, among many other duties.
I never thought I'd work in an office, much less excel at it.


What has been your proudest moment since opening your Etsy shop?
Definitely my first sale. My friends and family loved my soap, but to
have a complete stranger pay for my soap was a huge deal for me.




Carver Pond Room Spray


What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Don't stop marketing yourself. Try to stay visible as much as
possible and get as much advice from other Etsy people as you can.


What handmade possession do you cherish?
I have a blanket my mother made me when I was about 2. It's a
hideous orange gingham, and I love it. It was on my bed all through
childhood, it went to college with me, and I still use it during the
winter and when I nap. (Love naps!) Feeling it on my cheek when I
wake up brings me back to childhood, a much simpler time in my life.


If you could have any item on Etsy regardless of price, what would it be?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48936684/dingle-bed?ref=cat2_list_1
I love how funky it is.

What other skill or talent do you wish you could possess, if you had not taken this creative path?
I've always wondered if my life would have been different if I had
majored in Theatre Arts in college. I'm happy with where I am, but
seeing one of the girls I took acting class with on TV sometimes makes
me wonder, "What if?"



Where else can we find you on the web?
I'm on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Lynnfield-MA/Ocean-Street-Spa/87231972755?ref=ts

That's all for this time! Have a wonderful autumn weekend and we will return in two weeks!