She's Crafty: Kira

For nearly two years, I've been lucky enough to be a part of an awesome online crafting community called Cut Out + Keep. I've met tons of crafty gals there who not only show me unconditional friendship, but provide me with a lot of inspiration. "She's Crafty" will be a feature I write periodically about my crafty friends. They are definitely women you should know!

Martha Stewart meets Elvira Mistress of the Dark.  That's what I think of when Kira comes to mind.  Kira is the proprietor of Kira's Lil Shop of Horror on Etsy and the author of Crafty Loo's blog.  In Kira's Etsy shop, you'll find mostly cute, horror related crafts such as plushies, jewelry, hair accessories, magnets, and keychains.  Here are a couple of my favorite items from Kira's Lil Shop of Horror.

Vampire Apple Plush

Hot Pink Heart Necklace

On Crafty Loo's blog, Kira gives us a peek at her life, especially when it comes to her shop and her crafting endeavors.  Kira has begun sharing tutorials on her blog.  She was recently a featured author on "It Belongs to Turtle," where she shared a tutorial for making chocolate silhouettes for cupcakes or cakes.

I asked Kira a few questions related to her creative life:

 Me:  Why do you craft and when did you begin crafting?

 Kira:   I think all crafters and artists will say that they've always felt a need for it. The  feeling of just having to do something with your hands or create something. But I've been crafting since I was a kid... drawing mostly, but when I realized that I can make a lot of things I love on my own it was on.

 Me:  What is your favorite medium to work with?

 Kira:   I'm restless, I can't stick to one project very long without wanting to start something new. So it's really hard for me to have a favorite anything.

 Me:  What's a craft that you have made that you are proudest of?

 Kira:   That's hard. I love everything I do in many different ways, I don't have one specific item I love the most.

 Me:  Who/what are your biggest influences and inspirations?

 Kira:   My parents. My mom honestly is the type of person that can pretty much make anything she looks at and my dad was always doodling on things. So I would have to say they are probably the biggest influences, other than Martha Stewart...

 Me:  What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

 Kira:   Ohhhh, I have lots of things in the works (rubs hands together menacingly). I'm hoping to get some t-shirts out, larger versions of my pilla' monsters and possibly some christmas ornaments. But I'm always writing down new ideas for my shop so you'll just have to keep a look out.

 Kira also plans to veer in a direction other than just her horror related items, but don't fret!  Kira assures me that she will always be making creepy crafts.  You can keep up with Kira at her shop, her blog, and her Facebook Fan Page!  Thank you, Kira!