Boston Handmade

By Kiki of All the Numbers

Hi everyone! I'm so glad to be a part of this vibrant team and I can't wait to meet all of you! Alright, so this is my first ever blog post of any kind, so please be lenient with me. I thought I would answer a few questions about myself and hopefully when we do get to meet you'll feel like you know me a bit.

Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff):

My name is Kiki Fluhr. Not really. Really it's Kristin Fluhr but I'm not crazy about Kristin so you can all me Kiki. I've grown up in Quincy and after college at Brown and a few years in California and Mexico I live here again with my fabulous husband. I grew up on the water and though we can't afford that any more I miss hearing the waves when I fall asleep. The name of my store is from something my mum would say every night. She would say, "I love you all the numbers!" (Like, I love you infinity.)

How long have you been doing your artwork/craft?

I have always loved to do things with my hands. I learned to stitch before I could read using yarn and Styrofoam food trays while sitting in on the counter in the kitchen with my Mother. She tried to teach me to sew, like, really sew, when I was 12 but I was having no part of her "patterns." Instead I made lots of ill conceived pillow dresses and necktie skirts. I wish I had paid better attention. I began sewing again last year when I was recovering from a long illness and needed to feel productive. I found Etsy, and the rest is history! *dreamy sigh*

Describe your work:

I started making things for kids because everyone I know had a baby at the exact same time. (I'm not even kidding.) I had been crocheting blankets for them but when the babies started coming fast and furious I needed to find something that wasn't as time consuming. I bought a few vintage patterns and made some tiny dresses, and I kind of fell in love with the squeals I would get at baby showers. I made my first quilt when the idea popped unbidden into my head - I had all these great red fabrics and they just screamed to become flowers. I love making quilts for people because it is something that they can use everyday; it can become a real part of their life. And I love the milestones that are associated with items for children - I have sold dresses that were worn on the first day of nursery school or kindergarten, and had moms tell me that because of that they will save the dress forever. I love that!

Why should people buy handmade?

In a world where you can find cookie cutter everything, handmade offers one of a kind things that break the mold. Everything I have bought on Etsy has a story, and whether I know that story or not, I feel like it makes my life richer.

How long have you been involved with Etsy and what have your experiences been?

I opened my shop in June and didn't sell anything for 6 weeks. Then I entered a dress into the Handmade Kids contest and it won First Place! That opened so many doors for me and my sales kind of took off. I love Etsy and everyone has been so kind and lovely.

Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups:

This is always my favorite part of the featured seller articles!

Books I love:

Sandman by Neil Gaiman (the best books ever written)

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Woman Warrior by Maxine Hing Kingston

Pride and Prejudice

Movies I love:

All the Real Girls

Garden State

Amelie

Lost in Translation

Donny Darko

Music:

Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis

The Pixies

MIA

Tilly and the Wall (They have tap dancers instead of drums!)

Regina Spektor

Other things I could live without but would be very sad about it:

This American Life

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Is there anything about you that would surprise people to know?

When I was little my fondest wish was to be a trapeze artist. Man did I ever want to fly.