Where were you born & raised?
I was born on the 5th of August 1983 in South Africa. I grew up in Johannesburg & moved down to Stellenbosch - Cape Town where I studied & lived for 4 years. That's where I really discovered the meaning of true life. Stellenbosch is situated in between mountains and nature reserves & is surrounded by wine farms...the winery area of South Africa.
Where are you now & what led you there?
I am currently situated in Rishon LeZion, ISRAEL. I've been traveling between South Africa, England and Israel for the last 2 years, doing a little bit of this here, a little bit of that there :) My boyfriend, Shlomy, is Israeli & we decided to stay here for a few months and to create more art. I've always loved moving around and to travel. I've been quite blessed as I have traveled to quite a lot of countries and got to explore some amazing cultures throughout the world.
What types of creations do you sell in for your Etsy shop(s)?
I opened up my first leather & energy stone art shop on Etsy called SHROOMPILOOP. The name comes from both myself & my boyfriends nicknames which is Shlomy (Shroompi) + Lindy-Lu (LoopyLu), and Shlomy is my inspiration. He taught me the ins & outs. He is the leather King of Kings. He has worked with leather & energy stones for most of his life.
At SHROOMPILOOP I work with Leather & Energy Stones. My leather varies from cow, goat, sheep & buffalo leather. The leather I use I collected from India, South Africa, Botswana, Israel and all my leather is of utmost highest quality. Some of the leather I use is also matured & infused toned leathers. The stones I use is the best you can find (that's why my bags are a little bit more pricier than other bags). All my stones are handpicked by myself & Shlomy. We collected a variety of stones from all corners of the world as we traveled the plains of earth. We collected our stones from India, Nepal, Japan, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mexico, England, Australia & Israel.
At SHROOMPILOOP I create Handbags, Travelbags, Pouches, Purses all 100% handmade!!
My bags are not of the average sort & scream energy, passion & power...
What's your educational background, as it relates to your work?
I studied a degree in BA Communication Science, but there's no connection!!
I have always been exceptionally creative & always loved to create with my hands. I have always created things throughout my life but I have only discovered my love for leather 2 years ago when I met the love of my life. I always looked at how he worked with leather & that inspired me to try too. Shlomy is my inspiration and everything started with him.
How'd you get started creating?
I started making things for myself, my friends, never thinking of selling any of my things. And then, out of the blue I said why not try to sell it?!? Why not make money through continuing your passion?!? I am quite a hyper active person & have way to much energy, so when I start creating I find a way to calm myself down and to have MY time :) More importantly I have learned to become patient & shanti :)
What's your muse, or what turns that little creative light inside you on?
The thing that I love the most about creating something amazing is that you value your talent so much more! Every time I create a bag, new ideas for another bag comes up & in some way I get really excited about it and gives me a lot of drive. To say "WOW" after making a piece and everybody around you is amazed at what you've done is the best feeling...I love to explore & to create new things and that is most definitely my muse!!
Do you belong to any Street Teams? If so, which ones and why? If not, why not?
I don't belong to any Street Teams as I just started to go public :) My most favorite thing about selling on Etsy is that all the people selling on this site are all artist. All the sellers have a passion for handmade art & value what they have created. If I have to sell a bag on ebay (for example) people would not appreciate the item because they would not understand the hard work and value of my item, whereas on Etsy it is a different story :)
Recommend your five favorite shops on Etsy.
I have just yet joined Etsy so have no gone through all the shops but would say that one of my favorite ones are TheLeatherStore as she creates amazing leather handbags. Something different to my style of bag but gorgeous.
What are your three favorite creations from your own shop?
Chocolate Brown Leather Coin Pouch Bag enriched with Turquoise
Red and Infused Red Choc Brown Leather Purse Bag
12 in. Cream and Brown Leather Turquoise Tone Laptop Case
Anything else to add? Go for it!
That's it. Happy Days :)
Thanks, Lindy-Lu!!
Carolynn
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