KnitPICKS: PresentsforPirates

Ahoy, Matey!  This week I picked piratical paper queen, presentsforpirates!  This crafty swashbuckler has the sweetest line of handmade notecards you will ever sea! I mean...see!  Keep reading to learn more about this awesome chick!  YAR!

Name: Amanda McKay, though you will commonly find me referring to myself as "man"
Age: 26, same as my wii fit age!
Location: wheat ridge, colorado
Shop: presentsforpirates.etsy.com


First tell me a little bit about how you got started. When did youmake the move to Etsy with your products? 

i guess it was october of 2007, and i can't honestly remember the aha moment when i decided to make the move. i know i had heard about etsy through people's blogs, and it just seemed to fall into place.

What inspires you most?

 i would have to say advertising. i find color and pattern trends that i like and am inspired to make something 

using that as a basic idea.

Share a funny and/or scary crafting story! 

mostly my days are filled with paper cuts or burns from embossing stamps, but the best i have would probably be the moment right after i was using a handheld paper rotary cutter to 

cut paper on a cutting mat on something else on my lap. the second i finished i realized the blade was about two inches from carving my legs up, and i thought, "that was maybe not your best idea!"
What is your favorite item currently in your shop and why? 

probably my handmade recycled envelope/pirate ship treasure map note card set. i think handmade envelopes are totally fun and love themed sets!
What is your “day job” if you are not a full-time seller? Do you ever
take inspiration from your “day job”? 

my day job is that of a "loan coordinator" for a mortgage company. the title doesn't quite cover every hat i wear there. i don't generally take any inspiration from my day job; they are so night and day sometimes it's har

d to describe.
If you could pick up a new craft, what would it be? 

um, i would have to say probably screenprinting. i like the idea of expressing one's self with clothing.

Tell me 3 interesting things about you. 

A.) i played competitive softball for about 8 years. i was a pitcher and clean up hitter. 

2.) i once lost 100 pounds. 

D.) i am a colorado native and have never been skiing. and that's totally cool with me. 

Favorites:

What is your favorite:
Movie? amelie 

Plant? any one i can keep alive
Vacation Spot? buena vista, colorado