Homegrown: Buffalo Grove Artists Turn To Etsy

Local shops are sometimes even closer than just down the street. Thanks to a website called Etsy, hobbyists from card makers to jewelry crafters to poster printers can have their own shops online. These experts in do-it-yourself crafting take a passion and in some cases turn it into a career or at least a second income.

In "Homegrown," we take a closer look at the personalities behind four Buffalo Grove artists' shops.

Deb's Whimsical Designs

Debbie Ziegler calls her foray into jewelry making a "journey," and to hear her tell the tale, her journey started almost out of nowhere. About four years ago, having stopped in to a Michael's Crafts store, the bead aisles caught her eye. The next thing she knew, she had passed a half hour sifting through and examining the variety of beads. "I bought a beginner's beading book and went home to read it," Ziegler said. Entranced, she returned to the store a few hours later. "I bought my first tools and beads and went home to follow, step-by-step, how to make a simple basic necklace. I was hooked."

Four years later, her shop, Whimsical Designs, is an official business, and Ziegler sells her jewelry online and in the craft fair scene. She's been experiencing a measure of success with her interesting, and, yes, whimsical approaches to necklaces, earrings and more. Particularly interesting are the way she incorporates coins into some of her pieces, such as in the case of a watch that uses pennies for a band.

Ziegler doesn't support herself solely through her jewelry sales just yet but said that she enjoys the challenge and doing what she loves. "There is still so much I want to learn and many skills I want to perfect. I only wish there were more hours in the day."

Hart Desires

Hart Desires is actually a team effort with altruistic origins. The shop is run by two sisters and their mother who were looking for a way to raise money for the American Cancer Society. "My mom and I came up with an idea to make bracelets out of old buttons we had around the house," said Becca Kelner, who was at the time a freshman at and captain of the school's Relay For Life fundraiser. "I got my team to come over to help make the bracelets and then we would sell them to kids and teachers at school."

The duo were so successful that Becca was elected captain year after year, being joined by younger sister Lizzie when she was old enough. Spending years crafting hundreds of individual pieces by hand had two effects: the team raised thousands of dollars for cancer research, and Donna Kelner and her two daughters became expert jewelry makers. The trio took their art to the Buffalo Grove Invitational Art Fair, and met with the same kind of success they experienced through Becca and Lizzie's school years.

"We wanted to continue to make and sell jewelry, so we set up the Hart Desires Etsy store," Becca said. "Making jewelry has become one of our family's favorite pastimes, and it has been a lot of fun having our stuff out there for the whole world to see."

Dyed by Mimi

No one could accuse Dyed by Mimi of not being colorful. The wares here are a throwback to fashion's far out past with a modern twist. Everything in Dyed by Mimi's shop is tie-dyed, but using modern fabrics and cuts of clothing.

Think of a clothing item, and Mimi has a bright, psychedelic approach to it. Nothing is off-limits, and the store is stocked with as diverse items as knit caps for infants, long sleeved shirts for men and casual wear for women. Mimi fills an otherwise empty niche by tie-dying accessories that normally don't get the tie-dye treatment, like purses and scarves.

In business since 2008, Mimi has seen a huge jump in business recently. Her store gets busy, especially around the end of year holidays, and in November along she brought her wares to no less than five craft shows. Dyed by Mimi also organizes home parties, bringing her goods to private homes of friends. 

Good Little Bluebird

Sometimes, a cute little bird is just a cute little bird. Other times, those birds are crafted by Sharon Borstein. The Buffalo Grove Arts Commissioner and head of the new is a fine artist by trade, and she imbues her little birds with more than just attractive patterns. "I really like birds, I like being outside," said Borstein, explaining her inspiration. "I had a job at a camp … I watched children interact with one another, and I thought a lot about pecking orders." 

Using that as a launch pad, Borstein began to hand craft the birds, each one composed of several thousand beads, five beads a time. She said the sometimes weeklong process can be meditative. "Sometimes you just need a break from thinking," Borstein said. If anything, her birds reflect an amount of thought that isn't immediately apparent from just looking at them. One two-toned speckled bird is called "black and white," which Borstein said reflects the idea that "nothing is ever really only one or the other. What happens when something doesn't fit into a category?"

And that's a decent way of describing Borstein herself, whose work includes sculpture, painting and letter arts. The multi-talented artist admits that there isn't meaning behind every single choice she makes, however. Asked why she chose to work in the medium she did, Borstein chuckled. "The beads were just in my studio, and it just sort of happened."