handmade by i am dorkas

hello hello my friends, how are you doing? so, for all my american friends this is part of a long weekend, which i hope you are using in order to have a lot of fun! also, i hope you like the new header on the blog! i did some re-design last night… and for a moment, actually entered in a panic zone, because when changing some code, something happened and the blog was all twisted (my heart stopped for a while, i think!)… but then i was able to put everything back (phew!). today’s interview is also about a funny story! a few weeks ago a girl reached me through email, explaining what she did… and also what her boyfriend did. they were a young couple living in new york (sigh!) and the curious was that he was portuguese and also a photographer… and the idea of moving to portugal was taking their heads! we exchanged a few emails and of course, i had to bring her in as i loved what she did. her name is marianna and she has a small business called {i am dorkas}. i felt related with her… specially when i heard her on this small video about {what we do to do what we love}.

can you explain what do you do? {i am dorkas} is… part textiles, part jewelry. 100% lovely.  me + my sweet make distinct jewelry. me + my momma + my sweet + my sweet’s momma collaborate on textiles. it’s a family affair.

who am i? marianna dorkas j. a finnish, indonesian, california born, brooklyn based, world bound, creative creature of anything but habit.

when did you start this project? i started this company in 2008. my boyfriend had given me a book by lotta jansdotter, {simple sewing}. it is about textiles with diy projects and i became really inspired. her designs are very scandinavian, and me being half finnish and appreciating this sort of design made me really want to start making things on my own. my mom taught me to sew at an early age and gave me a sewing machine as my high school graduation present. after i looked through lotta’s book, i dug out my sewing machine. the rest is history.

what is the most important things for you in your business? letting my creativity flow & not letting my fears shut my creativity down.

what challenges do you face? working at a hand-made level, it becomes extremely laborious and time consuming to do everything in house. the biggest challenge right now is space. we do everything out of our tiny apartment and the walls are closing on us. ny isn’t known for cheap real estate, so we are doing our best with the little space we have.

what are your goals for a near future? i’d love to go full time. right now i am freelancing part-time to cover my expenses and would love to focus solely on my business. i’d also love to get my products into stores, both domestic & internationally.

how do you promote your business to make it a successful one? i’ve found that the web is a great place to promote. blogs, facebook, email, mailing lists, etc! i’ve also participated in a few large craft shows that can grant you more exposure and more people to add to your mailing list!

marianna also designs lovely pieces of {jewelry}, using unique materials… and this couple has also a thing for recycling within their own home! they were featured last week on {design sponge} because of a {before & after project}… i was fond and loved the images of their home… also featuring their pillows of course!

{i am dorkas} has an {etsy shop}, but you can also buy from the {website}… and of course, join them on {facebook}… and if you have the time, say hello to marianna… she is such a lovely girl (and beautiful too!).

p.s. {i am dorkas} is the most recent sponsor on {a place for twiggs}. you can also be a sponsor, read {this} and let me tell you why this is such a good idea!

images: i am dorkas via etsy, blog & design sponge (click on each image for further details)