Tell us a bit about yourself name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff.
Hello to all. My name is Sandi McCormick. Kay is my middle name. I am wife to James for 20 years and mom to a 17-year-old girl, and boys 11 and 4-years-old. I live at the beautiful Jersey shore. I am a registered nurse by college education and artist by education of the heart. I taught myself to sew and crochet about 13 years ago and they are the best addictions a girl could have. I consider my sewing machine and iron my friends (please do not tell my sisters this!). Time is my enemy. I’ve asked Father Time several times for more hours in a day, but he refuses to grant my wish.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
Is there a world apart from creating? When I’m not closed up in my sewing room, you can usually find me on the beach surfing. Sometimes you might find me in my garden. I love to grow pumpkins. As a family, we love to explore zoo’s, aquariums, and museums.
I rarely watch television; there is just not enough time for it.
What first made you want to become an artist?
I bought a copy of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. Each issue has a featured seller. That was it, I was hooked.
Ever since I was little, all that I had wanted to be was a nurse. I had no idea you could be an artist. Now that I know, it is what I’m working towards! Being the featured artist here on Etsy is kind of like a dream come true.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
My mind never shuts off. I am always dreaming of things to create. Ideas will just come to me.
A lot of time it’s just as I’m falling asleep that I’ll think of a better technique for sewing or a design I want to try.
Great fabric can light a spark in me. I love the colors and patterns and even the smell of fabric. Fabric is my weakness. In the summer with my children around, I have to steal my opportunities to sew. But as soon as the kids are in school, I’ll be sewing every morning!
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
I’ve always asked my children to make me my Mother’s Day and my birthday gifts. Those are my favorite handmade possessions.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
Top books
1. The Quilt Maker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau. It’s a children’s story but a great message and I love the art work.
2. All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
3. Emily Dickinson’s poems and letters.
4. The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate
5.Any Shakespeare
Top Music groups
1. Dave Matthews Band
2. Jack Johnson
3. Live
4. Rush
5. Mozart
Top Movies
1. The 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet. Olivia Hussey plays Juliet.
Top websites
1. All the major fabric makers like Moda
2. Flickr
3. Twitter
4. Jimformation.com and ofKINGSandCarnies.com (my husband’s websites)
5. BigWhiteGuy.com
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Be respectful to your fellow artists.
Read read read. Etsy has a lot of information for new sellers. Join in the forums. I have found that your fellow Etsy members are very helpful. There are a lot of nice people in this community!
Treat each buyer as if s/he were your sister or brother, best friend, or grandmother. Our buyers are important to someone. They are important to Etsy. They are important to you!
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I’m addicted to pounce and the forums. I think the treasury is a nice feature.
I would absolutely love to have a feature where I could arrange the items in my shop, please.
How do you promote your work?
I pretty much use the word of mouth method. I have a big supportive family. My sister’s mother in-law liked my bags. She showed them to a friend who is the manager for a gift shop. She liked my bags and orders them for the shop!
In ten years I'd like to be...
still creating and sewing. I hope to have learned to paint, draw, and build arty robots from discarded and forgotten things. I hope to have made friends with father time and gained a couple more hours in a day. A girl can dream can’t she?
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