T.E.S.T. Interview: WhatWoodYouWear

We hope to introduce you to all the great etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the 83rd in our series and is with Ashley of WhatWoodYouWear. 

What got you interested in designing with wood?

I've always loved sculpting and carving ever since I was little playing with Play-doh. I took a pottery class in high school and loved it but didn't like how you needed a kiln to really finish a piece. Since I grew up on a farm that backed onto a forest I was always familiar with tools and using wood for projects around the farm. When I moved to the big city I really missed that natural feel of working with wood so I decided to try my hand at wood carving. It appealed to me since its similar to working with clay but I could finish a piece without needing an oven or kiln. My first piece was a Genie lamp that I carved right after Robin Williams passed away. Needless to say, my wish was granted and I've been carving ever since.

Where do you get your inspiration from? 

Mainly the wood itself. Each piece I find is different. Since I only use branches that have already fallen to the ground, each one has a different story. Some of them (many of my favourites) have been hollowed out by bugs giving each coin I cut off a true, authentic uniqueness. Things like size, porosity, colour, and grain also play a huge role in deciding which piece becomes what.

What's your favourite design right now? 

I'm actually still working on it. I pretty much have a new favourite every week (just check my Instagram!) but I'm really excited for what I'm working on now which combines wood, stone, and a piece brass from a re-purposed garment.

Do you sell anywhere other than Etsy? 

I'm hoping to start selling at vending fairs in the near future but currently am just selling on Etsy and through word of mouth.

Are you interested in making any other types of jewellery? 

I've always been an avid rock collector so I'm slowly figuring out how to start carving those to combine them into my jewelry.

How long does it take you to make each piece? 

Depending on the piece it can take me anywhere for 2-10 hours. I tend to cut and sand larger quantities at once so that I have several to gloss at a time.

Check out the other items available from Ashley in her Etsy shop. You can also find here at: 
Instagram: @whatwoodyouwear
Facebook: /ashleykingdesign (jewelry plus artwork and photography)
Twitter: (@lovethinkplay (jewelry plus local Toronto storm/weather photos -- she says "I'm a huge weather nerd!!")




Interviewed by Riel from MaBelleNaturelle on June 5, 2015.

T.E.S.T. Interview: MaBelleNaturelle

We hope to introduce you to all the great etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the 82nd in our series and is with Riel of MaBelleNaturelle. 

What made you want to start making all-natural personal care products? 

I've always wanted to have my own shop and it all started when I saw a report on the news about deodorant containing carcinogens. After hearing that I went to my room and looked at all of the different products I had and started reading their ingredient lists... that was really scary lol, the lists were never-ending! I started to think about all the different chemicals we put into our bodies (some sources say upwards of 500/day for women) and about ways to reduce that, so I looked around and got into making handmade beauty products :).

What was the first product you ever made? 

The first product I ever made was deodorant but I started all at the same time with deodorants, scrubs and body butters. I was pretty scared of lip balm since I didn't really know how to use beeswax haha but now it's my favourite product! And then I started adding body spray because a friend wanted me to make her some, and am now moving into body wash and things like that as well.

How do you encourage people to use/buy your products? 

The biggest thing is education about the dangers of chemicals in a lot of store-bought products. The challenge is presenting the information in a fun & accessible way. I taught a workshop for Trade School Toronto in the Fall and that was really cool, so I'm trying to get into doing more events & markets and in-person things. There's also a really cool video that's a really fun animation that you can check out.

Do you sell your products as a hobby or full-time?

Just a hobby but I hope to turn it into something full-time soon :).

Do you sell anywhere other than Etsy?

Not right now but I'm going to be at my first market in August! I'll be at the Parkdale Flea.

Which of your products is your favourite/do you use most?

Right now I have to say lip balm. I love all of my products and I really believe that they're all an improvement over store-bought products because of their natural ingredients and the transparency of it all that comes along with the handmade process, but the lip balm is the one where I can see the biggest difference in terms of quality. I think I'm going to put a 100% satisfaction guarantee in the listing where people can get a full refund if they don't like it, because to me it literally is a million times better than other lip balms. It makes my lips soooooo soft and smooth and really gets absorbed. It also lasts forever. I love it!! :)







Check out the other items available from Riel's Etsy Shop!  You can also find her:
Facebook: facebook.com/mabellenaturelle
Twitter: twitter.com/rielnaturelle 
Pinterest: pinterest.com/rielnaturelle 


Interviewed by Ashley of WhatWoodYouWear on June 5, 2015.