Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff.

Hello, my name is Kristina Franco and I live in Allentown, Pennsylvania by way of New Jersey. I still consider myself a New Jersey resident and am quite smug about it. I share a large, historic apartment on a busy street with my husband and cat. I have a Bachelors of History from an incredible college and to this day, cannot figure out what to do with it.

I guess my background in history lends itself to my vintage shop. I really enjoy the hunt; just like researching an elusive historical figure. My shop is a mix of vintage items, fabric rose bouquets and my new silk line. I am very busy.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Since I work from home, I spend a lot of time alone. That being said, I talk to my cat, people-watch and brush up on my Russian with listen & repeat cassettes. I collect plain branch wreaths and I obsessively check weather.com. I like to take day trips to New Jersey to visit my mom and Northern Pennsylvania to visit my grandmother. During summertime I'm pretty much a hermit, but during fall and winter I like to be outside a lot.

What first made you want to become an artist?

I don't think I ever wanted to become one actually. Visuals were always effortless for me. I still prefer to write and research but I do get satisfaction out of exploring this "other side" of me. When I was in high school I learned how to sew from the seamstress in town and worked for her on and off for a few years.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

I am more business minded than creative, so it makes my creative process a little abnormal. It's more of a business plan and then the means to carry it out. Really, more than anything, I've been obsessed and inspired by vintage silk fabric.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

My most cherished handmade possessions are bits of paper scraps that people have written me notes on. Reminders, I love you’s, lists, cards, drawings and some photos. most of it looks like trash, but they are very important to me.

Also, a dried rosebud wreath that my mom and I glued together, together.

Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.

my favorite books: East of Eden - John Steinbeck, A Gentle Creature - Fydor Dostoevsky and my russian pocket dictionary. I also love rereading all of my old college history textbooks.

my favorite movies: Twin Peaks (tv show), House of Fools, The Godfather and the Wuthering Heights that came out in 1992. I recently saw Spirit of the Beehive and it was fantastic. I also watch Lost, religiously.

my favorite websites:
weather.com
lostpedia.com
aetv.com

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Branding your business is very important, because it makes you memorable and gives you a strong foundation. I think a solid brand and a good business plan are the two most important things to have before you dive in.

What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?

I think my favorite feature on Etsy, is, well, I guess its lack of certain features, so to speak. I really love how, simple and clean Etsy is, especially my individual shop page. Too much noise can really take away from your intent and product.

How do you promote your work?

At this point, I really don't. I'm really bad at "the internet" so, social networking sites and blogs are absolutely not for me. I think the best form of promotion is listing new items daily.

In ten years I'd like to be...

...living somewhere near the mountains with a fawn great dane.