hello there sweet friends, how are you doing? i hope monday has been a good start for this week… are you ready for christmas? i still have shopping to do and still… no clues. this is not good, i know, i know! but i am still not inspired for those amazing ideas for shopping. well, today i am bringing to you another edition of {local markets} and this could be a clue for me actually, as the ladies i will present really have their way with hands & fabrics.
“we are two portuguese sisters who have always lived among crafts. both grandmothers and mother used to fill our holidays and weekends with anything to do crochet, knitting, sewing or painting. nowadays we spend much of our free time making the items shown up here. we’ve been blogging for almost five years at {pano p’ra mangas} and opening an etsy shop {two pink sardines} is the biggest step we’ve taken since we started.”
{two pink sardines via etsy}
can you tell us something about yourself? we are two sisters who have always lived surrounded by all sort of crafty materials: from threads to fabrics, from paints to porcelains… almost anything you can imagine. we were born in faro (south of portugal) but my sister vânia has been living in lisbon for the last two years. despite the distance we manage to work together, as we share projects, ideas and sometimes materials. we do this as a hobby as both of us have “day jobs”.
how did {2pinksardines} start? the shop is a sort of an extension of our blog {pano p’ra mangas}. for an etsy shop we needed a more “international” name, so after a long brainstorming, the name came up to our minds.
{two pink sardines via etsy}
what inspires you? anything: a pink vw beetle you see parked in the street before you go to work, a shadow of orange tones given by the sunset, a smiling child, a book or a magazine. there’s nothing specific, believe us!
{two pink sardines via etsy}
what advice can you give for those small business owners in our country? don’t give up doing what you like. we’ve been around for 5 years (as bloggers) and just this year we started to feel our effort being recognised by others than friends and relatives.
what do you think would be helpful for small business owners in our country? use first quality products, even if they are a bit more expensive they are worth the effort. make it as if you were your own customer. promote it the best you can – if you don’t know how, look for tools and advice, there’s plenty of information online.
{two pink sardines via etsy}
now that you read everything, just one quick question… how sweet is this name {two pink sardines}? i thought so! but wait, do not go yet, let me just tell you that asides from these lovely clutches, {two pink sardines} are also responsible for cowls, hairbands, bibs, and several other things. you can just sneak-peek their {shop}, {blog} & guess… also on {facebook}!
so… are you done with your christmas shopping? if you are not, i would say… look for local & buy local. buy handmade… i know, it is more expensive, but on the other hand, if there is a chance there, think that that amazing thing you are holding was handmade with love, someone very real took the time to choose materials, buy the materials, and find the best way to combine those materials, in order to do something really precious. this is {local markets} philosophy… buy handmade, buy local. support who lives next to you.
twiggs says
i am really sorry, but all comments were lost during the import process. but you can still find them on the other blog. thank you!