Finalist #5 Early Bird Special

...a mini interview with Amy Bindel, aka Early Bird Special



Amy, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I live in OKC, OK with my husband, our daughter (who will soon be 2 years old), and our 2 dogs. I'm actually a stay at home Mama, so all avenues of my life are constantly intersecting. My daughter, the duties of daily life, and embroidery keep me very busy. If I'm not working, I'm usually sleeping.

You blog under the name "Early Bird Special" - could you tell us how you came up with that name?
I came up with Early Bird Special after my daughter Darcy was born. She is a very early riser, and sleeping in past 6am is a sweet memory and a rare treat. I noticed my most productive times were early morning hours.

Have you always been crafty?
Yes. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are spending the day with my Granny, who was an artist and a crafter too. She would dress me in one of Grandpa's old, paint splattered shirts, and call it my "artist's smock." I had tons of paintbrushes to choose from, as well as a variety of oils and acrylics. I would then paint pictures of owls, birds, flowers, and anything else I could think of. I've always loved to draw, and would spend many days and nights sketching and doodling. Unfortunately, I lost the sketchbook from my "sketchiest" period, which was from age 17 to 20. It was very much like a diary, but I would sketch, instead of write. Oh, how I wish I still had that emotional gold mine.

Do you do other crafty things as well?
On rare occasion I will knit, although it's been a couple of years since I've picked up knitting needles. I have a love of fabrics and dabble with the sewing machine from time to time, making things for our home, or softies for Darcy. For the most part I limit myself to embroidery. I've tried to be a multi-crafter, but I'm easily distracted, and too many crafts at one time make me feel like I have crafter's ADHD.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! Most of the time I'm inspired by my daughter and whatever she shows interest in at the time. I love all things cute and anything that makes me say, "Eee!" Flickr is always a good place to find inspiration, as well as my neverending blog subscriptions. When I'm burned out on computer time, I look to my collection of Japanese embroidery books for inspiration.

Please tell us about your banner design submission...
I drew the little craft characters a few months ago, and thought they would be perfectly cute for the Feeling Stitchy banner. The colors are just softer versions of some of my favorites. I thought keeping things soft would help keep focus on the characters, while being inspirational.

Amy, thank you so much for doing another interview with us (you can a read a past Feeling Stitchy interview with Amy here). Good luck with the contest!