I'm excited to introduce to the beautiful and talented Felicia today, I am so in love with her lampshades!!! Everyone say hello :)
Tell us a little about yourself and your shop
My name is Felicia and I am a Colorado girl living in Utah, enjoying the adventurous outdoors with my loving boyfriend. I love camping, skiing, hiking, off roading, all animals, nature, Feng Shui, Chai tea, Yoga, Pilates and living simply, enjoying each beautiful day as it comes. I have a shop on Etsy, Atmosphere Lamp Shades, where I create unique retro inspired crocheted lampshades and dream catchers. I also have a blog, A Flower Of the Sky, where I hope to inspire a natural lifestyle rooted in free spiritedness and always keeping an open mind.
What is your inspiration?
Some of my ancestors are from Mexico and I am definitely drawn to the vibrant and bright colors that are incorporated in Mexican culture and the indigenous tribes that live there. I love the 60s and 70s patterns and designs and the colorful and muted tones that were prevalent in pop culture. Crocheted items were a big trend in the past and I am definitely inspired by this to create a new original twist as far as the lampshade world goes. The lampshades I create are crocheted in a way that the light only filters through the crocheted yarn creating a really beautiful atmosphere to any room. Nature is a huge part of my life and I have a huge love for the outdoors. I try to see the beauty in all things in this world and my day to day experiences also inspire me, whether it’s a song I hear, a robin I see, a beautiful silhouette of the mountains in my backyard I view, the world inspires me and each day I look to life to show me even more beautiful things that will bring me joy and stir up my creative will.
Have you always wanted to have a creative career?
When I was in high school I took a lot of biology, chemistry and medical field related classes like emergency prep, medical prep, nursing assistant, etc. I aspired to be a paediatrician. I also had a huge love for creative work, painting, sketching, and drawing. Through elementary, middle school and high school I always received art awards and had my work featured in many art shows. Then college came and I decided I wanted to be a child psychologist. I studied psychology and was very intrigued by it. Then one day I went thrifting with my boyfriend when I came across this poem:
“…and then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful then the risk it took to blossom” - Anais Nin
This poem really spoke to me, it ultimately made me change my lifestyle. I put an end to a job that wasn’t making me happy, fell in love with crocheting and decided to change paths. I’m a really optimistic person and I have faith and believe we can create the lives we dream of. So I took my passion of creating beautiful things with one piece of string (yarn) to invent a really cool lampshade! Creating an online business has definitely proved itself to be difficult but I love it! Each day brings new opportunities and beautiful experiences. I am still getting my feet on the ground but I am hopeful for the future of my shop and am thankful to be able to use my creative spirit to dream up creations that people will love and treasure for many generations to come! The times we are living in are definitely changing and the advent of the internet has changed the lives of us all. I have a lot of love for Etsy and will always favor handmade over factory made.
Describe a typical day in your life
On a typical weekday I wake up around 5:30 am and do yoga with my boyfriend. I put a pot of fresh organic coffee on to brew or get some water boiling for some yummy tea. We usually start the day with our favorite meal; fried eggs on toast with guacamole. In the summer we eat this meal on the backyard patio as we stare at the gorgeous mountains.
I’ll tidy up the house, throw a load in the washer and run the dishwasher, recite some positive affirmations and shower. I then spend the day creating items for the shop, networking by creating tons of treasuries on Etsy or working on my blog. Usually my time is spent with a combination of these. My goal is to have around 125 items in my shop, but right now I am trying to get noticed by others, so I spend time networking. The music and record player are continuously playing through the day. Around noon I’ll take a lunch break, this may include bird watching or reading in my backyard or watching a short episode of my favorite show. I’ll continue on with working on the shop or blog. Then my boyfriend comes home and we relax together. We cook a yummy dinner and then we end the day with Pilates or weight lifting in our backyard. I like to appreciate every detail of my day. It’s the day to day things that make life so meaningful.
What are you currently obsessed with?
Lately I’ve been totally obsessed with animals. I purchased the book Animal Speak by Ted Andrews (one of my favorite books) months and months ago and have been really intrigued by the animals I see everywhere. I want to study their habits, their rituals, their instincts they have adapted to carry on their species. We just moved to the perfect home for us and I am surrounded by so many amazing creatures, hawks, robins, ground hogs, humming birds, etc.I make it a point to learn as much as I can about them. It is helping me to feel more connected to mother earth and this world we live in.
Another thing I’m always obsessed with is the ancient art of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is a Chinese art of the placement of our items in our home and how it affects our success. I find it so mysterious and intriguing. I know the idea seems strange but I have felt its effects in my life in a tremendous way. I recommend people looking into and practicing making some changes to their home that will translate to positive changes into their lives. I’m actually thinking of doing a series on it on my blog soon.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
In 5 years I plan on being married to my awesome boyfriend Thomas. We want to have kids at 28, so in five years I hope to be pregnant too. I plan on owning a home in the country with a huge organic garden and chickens. We will have a sanctuary garden, fire pit and koi pond. I want to be a featured seller on Etsy and have a separate website for my shop. I want to have a thriving business and blog! I see my boyfriend working from home and us having the cutest puppy. I see us travelling to Venice, Italy, South America and all around Europe. I see so many beautiful things in my future and am so happy to keep dreaming about them!
“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.” -Bruce Barton
Felicia is offering everyone 20% off all items in her shop with code ENCHANTEDPIXIE.
