Sometimes I get a little tired of tooting my own horn, although blogs are naturally horn-tooting affairs, and feel like shining the spotlight on one of my blogland friends instead. What follows is my interview with the lovely and super-talented Susan Duane, who most of you know has a fantastic blog, Hometown Girl, and two Etsy shops, Paperhill and Paperhill Fabrics. Susan, you are the first person I've asked for an interview, and I have my reasons. I think your blog and Etsy shops are examples of "everything done right". You have beautiful photos, interesting posts, lovely creations for sale, and it all flows together seamlessly. I know there are a lot of people out there that feel the same way I do. You are a role model! Q: Why did you choose Typepad for your blogging platform? A: I choose typepad mainly because there were a couple bloggers in particular that I just loved and they used Typepad. My thought was if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. I knew so little about blogging that I'm not sure it would have mattered much :) Q: Have you had formal training in photography? A: I don't have any formal training in photography but I love it so much! I took Karen Russell's online class this past Spring and I enjoyed it immensely. Q: Do you have anyone that helps you with any aspect of the blog/Etsy/creative process? A: As far as my blog and shops go I'm pretty much it! I do have some wonderful friends that have helped me with some of the technical things but as far as creatively, the ideas are mine and I make them all myself. Q: Have you attended any of the blogging seminars or craft conventions? A: I would love to attend many events but I have a hard time leaving my children! Someday I hope to get to a few of them. A: I have three children 10, 8 & 4 so they keep me pretty busy. When I do have a bit of time I really make the most of it. Often you'll find me walking around the house with my camera around my neck taking photos of items in between cooking dinner! Q: When you are working on your beautiful creations, do you listen to music or have the TV on? I have a little sun room that I use mainly for creating (although I must admit it often spills out into other parts of the house!) and I almost never have the TV or music on. I really enjoy when it's quiet. Q: Just for fun, name three CD's that you almost wore out in high school: A: I love this question, promise you won't laugh! Q: In five years, where would you like to be in regards to your blog and business?. A: In five years I would love to still be doing something I love. I have no idea what form it will take by then. I truly enjoy so many different creative things. I love interior design, photography, cooking & crafting. As far as my blog I would love to be a "super blogger" but in the big scheme of things the friendships I've made mean more than anything else creatively! Let's try a few sentence completion/fill in the blank items: One of the craft products I can't live without is my cutting mat and good sewing scissors. My "guilty pleasure" TV show is Project Runway. The best thing I ever found while "thrifting" or antique shopping was three large rolls of vintage laces.
Q: I'm curious how you find the time to do everything you do. Any insight into time management?
Journey~ Escape
Foreigner~ Four
REO Speedwagon (don't know the album name).
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I can never have enough: vanilla caramel creamer.
If I had one day to visit any city in the U.S. with a $3,000 debit card, I would go to New York City!!
I would love to see my neice in concert someday.
**Picture Credits: Susan Duane. Please do not reproduce without contacting Susan**
Mitzi
