ZKitten

Name:
ZKitten

Shop Name:
zkitten.etsy.com (chaoticlycreative.com)

Shop Link:
http://zkitten.etsy.com

What inspires you?
music, technology, nature, cultures of times past, the impossible, improbable, and supernatural

How long have you had your shop on Etsy?
16 months (give or take)

Is this a job for you or a hobby?
Job, this is how I make money. If I don't sell, I have to choose, electric bill, food, or art supplies, thank goodness I have an understanding boyfriend!

How did you get into your craft?
I've been making things for my whole life I grew up on DIY, and this was just the obvious direction to take.

Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy shop owners?
Customer service, quality, and courtesy are your most important assets.

Bits & Bobs & Things Inbetween

Name - Lily
Shop Name - Bits & Bobs & Things Inbetween
Shop link - http://www.slvrlily.etsy.com/

What inspires you? Wow, almost everything. But let me narrow it down a bit. Music is perhaps my biggest inspiration. Songs will create moods and moods lead me to want a particular piece. For example something mellow will lead to a more romantic piece where something with a driving beat will bring out something edgier. I'm also inspired by junk. I like finding that discarded, unwanted bit, polishing it up, and making it into something beautiful. Perhaps there is something personal in that as I know what it's like to be tossed aside and written off.

How long have you had your shop on Etsy? I opened March 31, 2008 so not long at all.

Is this a job for you or a hobby? Fun job? I have big goals.

How did you get into your craft? From childhood I've always like working with my hands. Over the years I've dabbled in this and that but it was my first steampunk piece that made me realize repurposing was my thing.

Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy shop owners? Network, network, network and don't be afraid to do your own thing. You'll get swamped with surefire success plans but always remember, there's more than one way to do anything.

Anything else you would like to add? Learn something new everyday. Scare yourself everyday. Cut yourself some slack everyday.

Vintage Postcards, Steampunk Roots

Lately I've been into buying vintage postcards--some to sell, others I can't bear to part with. Some of my favorites are, well, steamy. These have been hard to find--haven't seen a vendor yet with "steampunk" or "future past" as a category, but hidden in with "buildings" and "airplanes" were these three gems.

The oldest, the flying contraption above, was mailed in 1910 from Lincoln, Illinois, with a request to "meet us at the tram." The next one, titled "Future New York," was mailed from Brooklyn to Germany in 1925. Finally--one I bought just last weekend--the blimp over Midtown in New York, was mailed in 1933.

I love that in with all the postcards of monkeys wearing suits and creepy Victorian children are these remnants of some artist's vision of the future.

Welcome to the Steam Team blog!

This blog is dedicated to our Etsy team. We're here to promote & announce news in our steampunk art & shops, and we can host our own team contests, feature different members, and just have fun.