What is your shop name & URL, real name, and what do you sell?You’ll find me at KellieJSK.etsy.com, but my shop name is WordySmith. My real name is Kellie Smith and I sell decoupaged stuff that is covered in old book pages.
Where do you live? Tell us a about your town.I have been living in Brunswick for 6 years. Hmmm, let’s think about all the cool stuff. There are some very good restaurants, some interesting places to shop, great donuts, and the best brownies you will ever have. Bowdoin College brings vibrancy and energy, plus the most awesome Dump and Run sale. Our home is next to the high school, which abuts miles of nature trails and a lovely Farmers Market. We built this house on a new cul-de-sac street where the neighbors want an association. They drove us to put pink flamingos on the lawn and mow the grass in Doc Martens. Keep it up, people, and I’ll be weed wacking in a thong. I agree, not pretty, but highly effective.
Tell us about your family & pets.I am married to a handsome, smart guy named Tim. He knows everything about history and politics. And I have a very cool 14 year old daughter named Lauren who is a kick-butt drummer, a skilled softball player, and volunteers at the animal shelter. Bear with me, I gotta brag… she was one of a few freshman who won an Underclassman Award this spring as the Coastal Humane Society Volunteer of the Year. Tim is in the Merchant Marine, so it’s just the teen and I every three weeks. We have an adorable, stinky beagle named Wilbur, and two sweet kitties named Carlos and Nancy.
How long have you been making your craft & what got you into it? Only about five or six months. For decades I was a pre-school education teacher in early intervention programs like HeadStart. So I’m all about process-oriented, open-ended art as a therapeutic learning tool. I discovered Etsy last fall and was so inspired by the creativity that poured through the front page. I started doing altered books, and appeared in a show. That was wonderful…I felt so validated! Someone at the exhibit opening asked if I was the artist who made the book they were looking at and all I could do was giggle like a schoolgirl through my mouthful of Ritz crackers. I guess that’s what separates me from Jackson Pollack! Well, plus the drug abuse and inability to drive without drinking. I mean him, not me. Then on Etsy I saw the domino pendants, and the blank bamboo tiles. And I thought of the old books we have. A light went off!! Now I’ll decoupage anything. Seriously. You fall asleep around here and I’m gonna start slapping dictionary text on you!
Do you feel like your craft is related to where you live?
Maybe the Yankee Thrift of not wanting to throw away anything…even a tattered book! I appreciate what Maine has taught me; a strong work ethic, no whining, and a good sense of humor. And a great love of whoopee pies.
Tell us about the awesome craftspeople that you've met around Maine-- have you collaborated or met with any Maine Team members?
Aww, you know how I feel about my homies at the Etsy Maine meetings…you got my heart, and I got your back! I loooove the venerable Whitman's Sampler mix of people and talent; it’s just so interesting and inspiring. A very supportive, fun group. And I love how the Maine Team is growing and evolving. It’s like watching a garden flourish without the bug bites and copious amounts of zucchini.
What are your plans for the future? (Life and/or craft)
I would like to expand more on the decoupaged objects; maybe small tables or other oddities. And we all know that Eiffel Tower ain’t gonna decoupage itself! On the personal front I’ll continue with my White Stripes obsession to the point of grave concern and restraining orders. And as of June 19th, I’ll be all done with work forever and ever. I’ll be busy being a kept woman trying to become even more shallow than what I already am. Oh, pool boy, isn’t it time for this cougar's martini?