DoBatsEatCats? Yes They Do!

Medieval gothic rosette necklace with blue Swarovski crystals OOAK

How'd you get started on Etsy?
An acquaintance told me that she'd started selling her handmade clothing on Etsy. I'd never heard of the site so I went to check it out to support her, and immediately registered as a shopper. Before long, I realized, "I can do this!" I figured it was a way of supporting my bead habit. And, it just grew from there!

What was your inspiration for your shop?
I love skulls, bats, spiders, and all things dark and gothic, so that seemed like the logical direction for my shop. I'm also inspired by works of literature and my shop currently has pieces inspired by Neil Gaiman, Wicked, and Alice in Wonderland.

What's your favorite shop item and why?
Lately I've been creating these epic chainmaille necklaces with huge gothy pendants at their center. Right now, I think this one is my favorite:

Gothic bat chainmaille choker necklace - silver with sparkly black beads

How do you unwind when you're not creating?
I am something of a foodie and am fortunate to live in a city that has great and cheap ethnic restaurants, so my boy and I try and get out for a good meal fairly regularly. If it's warm out, we like to walk down to Lake Michigan and sit by the water -- it's impossible to feel stressed out there!

What's your favorite kind of cupcake?
The best cupcake I ever had was the vegan chocolate raspberry cupcake from the Bleeding Heart Bakery, an organic bakery here in Chicago. Pretty much anything chocolate works for me, though! As long as it's got the good buttercream frosting and not that sugary frothy crap that they use in the grocery stores.

What pushes you to want to create something?
Any number of things! A big deadline, for one. :) I'm pushing right now to get my stock up for the many craft shows I'm doing this fall. A bad day at my day job also makes me want to create something, and work harder on my shop in general! Or, just seeing a bead, or a charm, or some other random jewelry finding and hearing my inner goth girl go "oooh, pretty!"

Silver sword earrings with red and orange crystals - Sandman inspired - Destruction

What's your favorite cartoon as a kid. As an adult, if you stumble upon it while channel surfing now would you stop and watch?
I loved Scooby Doo as a kid. Unfortunately, I don't think it's stood the test of time. My boyfriend and I recently netflixed it and we were shocked at how cheesy and just not-funny it was to us now.

What's your fantasy job?
Making a living through my craft. Failing that, travel writer, so I could get paid to wander the globe!

Do you have a secret guilty pleasure?
Lately, thanks to a few friends, I've become addicted to post-apocalyptic young adult fiction. I got hooked on the Hunger Games series (government forces children to participate in an annual fight to the death in an arena, which is televised and everyone's forced to watch it), and the Uglies series (at the age of 16 everyone's forced to have an operation to make them conventionally beautiful, which of course has hidden repercussions that no one is told about). I know these are written for teenagers but I've been enjoying them greatly! My college English-lit professors would NOT be impressed.

List 3 things you are so obsessed with it is torture to ever say no to.
Coffee. Chainmaille supplies. (I really have to discipline myself to buy only NEEDS, not WANTS, in this area or else I would go broke!) Handmade bath products, especially if they smell like baked goods!

Chainmaille Christmas ornament -- red and green Celtic visions star

List 3 of your favorite Etsy shops.
ZenAndCoffee -- gorgeous goth and steampunk arm warmers
rosemortem -- drool-worthy dresses
NatashaBlue -- hand-painted Day of the Dead artwork by a fellow Chicagoan

Do you have a favorite author? When you read, do you use a proper bookmark, bend the page, or grab anything handy to mark your place?
Neil Gaiman and Laurell K. Hamilton are consistently among my favorites. Usually I grab whatever piece of scrap paper is handy and use it as a bookmark -- it's usually a receipt of some sort.

If money was no object and you can live wherever you want….where would that be?
I'd keep my home in Chicago for the summers and also buy a big house with a front porch somewhere warm for the winter -- perhaps in Hawaii or New Orleans. I'd also have a funky loft somewhere in downtown New York City. 

Byzantine chainmaille bracelet in silver and ocean blue

What is your best childhood memory?
When I was in around the 5th grade, my parents got me involved in a kids' musical theater class. I was a total misfit and outcast in school, but I really blossomed on stage and gained a lot of confidence. I really do believe that performing saved me!

 You can find DoBatsEatCats on Etsy, Twitter and Facebook.  DoBatsEatCats will also be participating in the Etsy DTeam Sales Event. Please check her out.